This April sees an eggstra special line of comedy that will having you yolking all the way to the egg rolling event with the president. (Oh god when will the tenuous the egg based references end?! Around about now.) Henjoy (sorry).
Gina Yasheré, Contact Theatre, Thu Apr 2; £15, £10 conc
British-born to Nigerian parents, comedian Yasheré has been spending time away from home living both in LA and New York. But now she's back in the UK having tea at her auntie's and on tour with her latest show 'Laugh Riot.' It's a joy to watch her play a room, especially when said room has both her Nigerian and Caribbean fans in it – much good-natured cultural teasing ensues.
Sham Bodie, Kraak, Thu Apr 2, £5
Ben Tonge hosts the monthly eclectic comedy cabaret night. With the rather pregnant and ever-exuberant Katie Mulgrew, storyteller Freddy Quinne with his spandex and off-the-wall sketch humour from A Ship of Fools. Elle Mary provides the music.
Laugh Local, Chorlton Irish Club, Fri Apr 3, £10
With a mouth filthier than that cupboard in the kitchen you've been meaning to clear out for ages, Diane Spencer is a pure delight. Additionally on the bill are BBC 3's 'Impractical Joker' Paul McCaffrey and Scottish comedian Gary Little. Carl Hutchinson steps in for Justin Moorhouse who's probably off doing something exciting.
Group Therapy, Gorilla, Sat Apr 4; £10, £8 students/members
The stag- and hen-free zone makes GT a connoisseur's place to take in comedy on a Saturday in Manchester. This month sees a fine line up with the charismatic Ed Gamble who can work any room, Nish Kumar who has been gaining huge appeal at the Edinburgh Fringe and the French-born and Belgium-raised Eric Lampaert.
The Didsbury Comedy Club, Didsbury Cricket Club and The Heatons Comedy Evening, Heatons Sports Club, Sun Apr 5; £7 (Dids), £7.50 (Heatons)
Policeman on sabbatical Alfie Moore and Scottish comic Gary Little double up, opening at one gig then closing the other. At Didsbury Andrew Ryan plays host and Sophie Willan squeezes in the middle section while at The Heatons Justin Moorhouse takes the reins and Callum Oakley provides the middle.
Beat the Frog, The Frog and Bucket, Mon Apr 6 (and every Monday); £3, students free
The Frog's long running amateur night where newbie comedians try to last five minutes without getting croaked off stage by the audience. In its previous incarnation it's where the likes of John Bishop, Peter Kay, Johnny Vegas and Jack Whitehall started out and BtF recently won a Chortle award for the best club night in the north.
Mrs Brown's Boys: How Now Mrs Brown Cow, Manchester Arena, Tue Apr 7 – Sat Apr 11, £22.50-£39.50
Yeah, yeah, I know, but… as old school as the comedy is in Brendan O'Carroll's Irish mammy vehicle, he's put the work in over the years wearing the boards of small theatres thin way before the telly series catapulted him to the Arena. Plus he makes my mum almost wee herself laughing which is funny to watch in itself. So if that's your kind of thing, go for it.
Seann Walsh, The Lowry Fri Apr 10, £17
With his mane of hair like a lion with a perm, Seann Walsh has always been a distinctive presence on the circuit – with more than enough goods to back it up too. From early on it was clear he had a fine grasp on material about his own failings; at '28' he's feeling the impending thirty and living with his girlfriend has forced him to consider growing up a bit.
Manford's Comedy Club, Tiger Tiger, Sat Apr 11, £12.50
Jason Manford's weekly mission to bring quality comedy to The Printworks. This week sees a performance from Milo McCabe - a highly-skilled character comedy with some truly inventive ideas. Also on the bill are musical comedian Rob Deering and Moss Side's very own Vince Atta. Johnny Candon comperes.
Grumpy Old Women, The Lowry, Sun Apr 12, £22.50
A trio of fine comedic performers celebrate and bemoan reaching a certain age. Leading the mischief is stalwart Jenny Eclair, she's joined by Susie Blake and Kate Robbins to debate voluntary euthanasia versus retirement and choosing which beard will suit you most. Supply your own cake and gin (from the Lowry bar, obviously).
Caitlin Moran, The Lowry, Tue Apr 14, £28
Moran plucks her copy of her latest book 'How To Build a Girl' off the shelf to visit those cities she missed on last year's tour. How could she forget Manchester (well, Salford) anyway? Expect the usual Moran witticisms and wise words in this book-reading/spoken word event.
BBC Showcase, Frog and Bucket, Wed Apr 15; £ 6 on the door, £5 advance
The BBC borrow the Frog to showcase acts for a new TV show. The glittering Jonathan Mayor introduces Mick Ferry, Steve Shanyaski, Alun Cochrane, Dan Nightingale, Penella Mellor, Jonny Awsum and Stephen Bailey plus more. Blimey!
Jimmy Carr, O2 Apollo, Fri Apr 17, £25
Yes he's always getting into trouble for one joke or another but the fact is the man knows how to pen a gag. And he's a bit naughty with it. No one is safe from his wit. Other than at a Tim Vine gig, you won't get much more value in the way of gags per minute than this.
New Comedians, The Comedy Store, Sun Apr 19, £4
Oldham comedian Alex Boardman's night where he gives space to new comics. You never know who you might catch early in their career. Boardman himself has been a pro act since 1998 and knows what he's talking about. He's also the warm up man for the Great British Bake Off, so he knows his cake too.
XSMalarkey, Pub/Zoo, Tue Apr 21; £5, £3 members
Alongside performing stand up, Matt Forde has been a paid up member of the Labour Party since his teens. He went on to be a political advisor to the party and subsequently has been inspired to pen several shows based on his political life. In support at Chortle's best small comedy club in the north are Pete Otway, Jed Salisbury and of course Toby Hadoke hosts.
The Big Green Comedy Show, The Dancehouse, Thu Apr 23, £10
Gig organised by Dead Cat Comedy in support of the Green Party. Liam Williams performs a great line in clever and considered comedy. Kiri Pritchard McLean has sass in abundance, Dead Cat's Red Redmond is a genuinely trained clown, Ben Van Der Velde brings his comedic observations and there's informed rhetoric from XSMalarkey's Toby Hadoke. And if that doesn't persuade you what will?
Tim Vine, The Lowry, Thu Apr 23 & Fri Apr 24, £24
Two great value (three if you count Vine's second date here) comedy shows in one week as Carr and Vine both hit town. Unlike Carr's material, Vine's is a bit more warm and fuzzy, not to mention pun-tastic. He's also been known to go to great lengths for his art – once employing a guy dressed as a pink hippo just for one punchline.
Milton Jones, The Lowry, Sun Apr 26, £27
Another one-liner merchant in Salford this week. Jones is gleefully off-the-wall, often sporting mad hair and a charity shop jumper or sight-challenging shirt. A comedy Einstein belies the daft image though, as numerous series on Radio 4 and an impressive arsenal of gags.
Laughing Cows, Frog and Bucket, Sun Apr 26; £9 on the door, £7 advance
This month resident compere Kerry Leigh steps fully into the limelight with her comedic homage to her brother 'Kerry Leigh Wants to Marry Her Brother' – though not like that. Eugh. Sophie Willan, whose own solo show 'Novice Detective' was a giddy blast, supports.
Shits n Giggles, Antwerp Mansion, Sun Apr 26, £5
Monthly night in the bohemian environs of the elegantly run down mansion building in Rusholme. The cross-dressing, rock vegan Andrew O'Neill beguiles with his brilliantly innovative and idiosyncratic comedy. Support comes in the form of the very, very tall and equally as talented Rob Mulholland.
MACE, Kosmonaut, Thu Apr 30, £5
Manchester's Alternative Comedy Experience continues with an all-lady line up. Mae Martin may be diminutive and cutesy but she's sharply funny, local comic Kiri Pritchard McLean has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, Katie Mulgrew is still pregnant and pondering her life and Rachel Fairburn delivers with a wicked gleam in her eye.