21 brilliant comedy things to do this month

Ah, the weather's been lovely. So you've been sat in the pub beer garden with a pint (of anything really, could be a round of the optics – who am I to judge?) with the April blossom fluttering down and the nights drawing out. What will May bring? Probably rain so get back inside to the dark, damp upstairs room (where rumour has it someone murdered someone once) and watch some comedy instead. After all they'll be wasps out in that beer garden soon enough.

Andrew O'Neill, Joshua Brooks, Fri May 1, £12
A special Trapdoor Comedy presentation with Andrew O'Neill performing his History of Heavy Metal show with the backing of a full live band. The 'comedian, transvestite metalhead, amateur occultist and all round show off' delves deeper into one of his great passions. Guaranteed to be spectacular.

Laugh Local, Chorlton Irish Club, Fri May 1, £12 on the door, £10 advance
Scottish storyteller Raymond Mearns steps in for Justin Moorhouse to introduce the smart John Gordillo who steps out from the wings in his other career as a prolific producer and director. Also on the bill are deaf comedian Steve Day and heavy drinking Granddad Ben Lawes.

Group Therapy, Gorilla, Sat May 2 £10 (£8 conc)
The quality comedy night puts on their now annual (it's the second one…) night of new comedy. The newbies are Jayne Edwards, Kristian D Kirkland, Jo D'arcy and Joshua Ross plus one to be announced. John Robertson headlines while MC Danny McLoughlin holds it all together.

The Heatons Comedy Evening, The Heatons and the Didsbury Comedy Club, Didsbury Cricket Club, Sun May 3, £7
A further outing for Gordillo this time doubling up with double bass thumbing comedian Jim Tavare - who is apparently Prince Charles' favourite comedian. Support comes in the form of David Jesudason (Heatons) and Paul Savage (Didsbury).

XSMalarkey, Pub/Zoo, Tue May 5, £5 (£3 members)
The Irish sketch trio Foil, Arms and Hog have been impressing for the last few years with their sharply penned, fast paced skits. Here they are on tour with a 'best of' show. Plus support from the Legion of Doom and Eddie French, as ever Toby Hadoke comperes.

Comedy Balloon, Ape and Apple, Wed May 6, Free
The legendary, long running open mic night pays tribute to one of Manchester's comedy and poetry scenes most missed figures, Hovis Presley. Presley, who died ten years ago, was as talented as he was unshowbizzy (that is, hugely) penning some clever, wonderfully witty and often poignant verse. Expect fun, quirk and rhyme from his friends on the circuit.

Reg D Hunter, The Lowry, Wed May 6, £25-£27
Hunter doesn't really need to be funny – though he is, as it's a pleasure to listen to him ruminate. Laid back, frank, wise words coupled with the sheer aural pleasure of his baritone Southern states accent. No doubt all will be on the checklist for his latest show, The Man Who Attempted to Do As Much As Such.

Simon Munney sings Soren Kierkegaard, Gorilla, Fri May 8, £10 advance
Returning to the venue for the third time, Munnery attempts to sing the work of 19th century Danish existential philosopher Kierkegaard. Sounds odd? That's because it probably is. From one of the most original comedic minds around, it's bound to be strange, silly and sublime.

Zoe Lyons, The Lowry, Sun May 10, £12 (£10 conc)
Is it possible for Lyons to put a foot wrong? Doesn't seem like it. Since winning the best newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007 she's been gathering critical acclaim. Last year in Edinburgh she added a main award nomination, best gag of the Fringe award from Dave and loads of four and fave star reviews. It's no surprise though, her high energy shtick doesn't drop a beat, the gags just keep on coming.

Blue Plaque Unveiling and Beat The Frog, Frog and Bucket, Mon May 11, Free
Manchester first dedicated alternative comedy venue is 21 this year and in true Frog mischievous spirit the club is commemorating the birthday by unveiling a blue plaque dedicated to all those acts who have 'died' on its stage over the years. The event is at 6pm and is followed by the club's amateur night, which has witnessed the beginnings of many a household name. Pop by for both.

Dara O'Briain, The Lowry, Mon 11 – Wed 13 May, £26
The Irish comedian with a gift for fast talking and improvisation. Last time I saw him he riffed a whole twenty minutes of material just from mishearing a couple having travelled to the gig from 'Dollytown'. So whatever he has planned for Crowd Tickler, you can guarantee they'll be plenty of bonus, off-the-cuff material too.

Liam Williams, Pub/Zoo, Wed May 13, £7, £6 conc, £5 members
Every now and then XSMalarkey throws open the doors for a special touring show, but they won't have anybody mind. And Williams isn't anybody; low key, intelligent and uncompromising he impressed at the Edinburgh Fringe so much he was nominated for the newcomer award in 2013 and the main award in 2014. He might even bring a book with him. And read from it.

Stewart Lee, The Lowry, Sat May 16, £22
A second date to work through more material for the next series of the superb Comedy Vehicle for the BBC. Lee practices his awkward silences, over long musings on one unlikely topic and berates his audience for not being the right type of audience. It'll be cracking. Apparently described by UKIP as 'an utter disgrace', so what more encouragement do you need?

300 to 1, The Lowry, Sat May 16, £12
Haven't a clue what this is all about but coming with the description 'a schoolboy reenacts the film 300 to the ghosts of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon' you've got to check it out really haven't you? Plus Monkey Poet performs some stand up rhyming.

Ruby Wax, The Lowry, Sun May 17, £18.50-£20.50
Wax's problems with depression have been well documented in her work, having turned a horrible disease into a positive. Wax breaks out her sass on its ass with her latest show Sane New World where she explores why we seem so intent on sabotaging our own sanity.

Alexis Dubus, Kings Arms, Thu May 21, £9 (£8 conc)
These days Alexis Dubus is probably better known for his Gallic alter ego Marcel Lucont whose haughty and unflappable persona has been wooing UK audiences for a good few years. Here Dubus shrugs off the silk smoking jacket to appear as himself with Cars and Girls, a show that proves he can do it without the Lucont veneer too.

The Lowry, Sun May 24
Well this doesn't happen very often but when it does it feels like a victory for comedy – all three venues at the Lowry with a comedy show in them. The big room sees Paul Merton doing his impro thang with his chums (£24), charity gig Comedy For Christies (£15) is round the back in the Quays and there's a double header of solo shows in the Studio from the fabulously obtuse James Acaster and the gloriously silly Stephanie Laing (£10). I'll leave you to decide which to plump for...

Best in Stand Up, The Comedy Store, Fri 29 and Sat 30 May, £12-£22
Spend the final weekend of the month at the Store for the classic stand up comedy night. A fine line up including inventive juggler Steve Royle, musical comedian Rob Deering and rising star Joe Lycett. Alistair Barrie keeps order.

Rob Delaney, The Lowry, Sun May 31, £23
Delaney is hot news after his success co-writing and co-starring in Catastrophe with Sharon Horgan so he's off on tour. Before that it seemed he was only known to his fellow Americans, the Twitterati (always wanted to use that term) and those that saw him at the Edinburgh Fringe the other year. Now it's your turn people.

Laughing Cows, Frog and Bucket, Sun May 31, £7 on the door, £5 advance.
Kerry's off on her hols so Stockport housewife and mother of five Barbara Nice takes the reins and probably gets us to play musical chairs or something equally glorious. Vikki Stone headlines with her cheeky musical comedy banged out on her keyboard plus Nina Gilligan and Dotty Winters support.

Tom Binns, Antwerp Mansion, Sun May 31, Free
With a real old school ventriloquists dummy (you know the type that come alive in the night and sit by your bedside stroking your hair while you sleep) Tom Binns adds to his skills as a hospital radio DJ (Brackenbury) and international psychic (D Montfort) by taking up ventriloquism. Harriet Dyer and Chris Chamberlain support.