Stand Up For Cider – Final 2019
Wow! Where do I begin?
The Final of Stand Up For Cider 2019 took place at The Creative Innovation Centre (CICCIC) in Paul St, Taunton on Friday 19 July.
You could feel the excitement in the air……. crackling with anticipation of a great night! The show was completely sold out. Every show this year has sold out too. It has built a solid, loyal audience.
Thanks to the support of the sponsors Berry’s Coaches and Taunton Cider the quality of this year’s competitors, MC and Headline Acts have been incredible.
We had 10 acts in the final. 5 in the first half and 5 after the break.
Nigel Lovell, Julie-Ann Amos, Kris Davies, Robert Perry, Becky Povall, Christian Russell-Pollock, Jo Frank, Ben Milden, Jessie Nixon and Burt Williamson.
Everyone performed brilliantly. It was going to be a close call. Everyone who took to the stage was a potential winner. The result was completely in the hands of the audience. Everyone had a printed scoresheet with all the acts on, space for notes and a column to choose their winner and runner up.
While we counted the votes our headline act Lindsey Santoro took to the stage. The audience were in stitches again. Just like they had been all night! So much laughter. Best sound in the world.
The prizes were – Stage time with a TV level comedian, their name to be engraved on the trophy and their body weight in Taunton Cider!
In 3rd place was Jo Frank – Hilarious lady! Her material was sharp, honed to perfection with some killer punchlines!
In 2nd place was Christian Russell-Pollock – Based in Plymouth. Tall, young and full of energy. Some very good visual, prop-based comedy. Self-deprecating about his uncanny resemblance to a young Bee Gee!
The winner was Robert Perry – His act was based around lots of hilarious crowd participation featuring a flip chart and health and safety! Brilliant!
This report would not be complete without a reference to our MC David Arnold. What a star! He arrived on stage in an awesome new stage outfit! He quickly produced a carrier bag full of things to start the show with a bang….. some talcum powder, laser light pens and party poppers! Very difficult to describe the chaos that ensured! You needed to be there! On that note…..David has been asked to be resident MC for Stand Up For Cider 2020.
Finally, a huge thank you to the amazing venue, CICCIC. We have worked together for 5 years. The shows run like clockwork. The room is absolutely perfect for comedy. It is also used for so many other types of event, parties etc. Check them out….but not before we have fixed the dates for Stand Up For Cider 2020!
