WITH Comic Relief just gone and April Fools’ Day just around the corner, spring is the perfect time for a joke and a chuckle. Naturally, Ilkley Playhouse has plenty to offer.

First, there’s another edition of our ever-popular Stagefright comedy night, headlined this month by character comedy king Will Franken. With appearances on the USA’s The World Stands Up TV programme, and on Canada’s Just for Laughs, he’s already a highly regarded name on the comedy circuit. Rapidly switching personas, he will introduce you to a host of absurd, accurately drawn and hilarious characters. The New York Times, no less, describes him as possessing “an erudite wit and a highly developed sense of the absurd".

Franken will be supported by Nina Gilligan, Hot Water Comedian of the Year winner and English Comedian of the Year finalist. With her outspoken and cuttingly accurate observations, and a story-telling approach lined with razor-sharp wit, she’s been compared to Caroline Aherne’s legendary character Mrs. Merton. Completing the line-up are Steve Titley and charming newcomer Stu Woodings. As usual the bar will be open, the seating’s informal and the laughter flowing so grab your friends some and book your tickets before it’s too late – we’re expecting another sell-out.

If you like your comedy on the wry side then Endings, a play by Tim Sturrock, is for you. Meet Steve, a man who finds himself contemplating the mystery of midlife misery. His 40s seem to be full of endings: relationships, lives, outdated storage media... As Orson Wells once remarked, "If you want a happy ending, that depends on where you stop your story." With tickets at only £5, why not come along with your friends for a funny insight into a midlife crisis.

Finally, a man who needs no introduction: master playwright Alan Bennett. Getting On is Bennett’s second play, first produced in 1971, which is also when the action takes place. Even this early in the great man’s career, the play contains all we have come to know and love about Alan Bennett’s work: the writing is sharp, perceptive, analytical and funny – in other words, it’s quintessentially Bennett.

Getting On tells the story of George, a middle-aged Labour MP with a young family, who finds his career going rather better than his personal life. While very funny, it’s not a cosy play, but an exploration of British obsessions, prejudices and institutions. Tickets are selling fast, so please book soon to avoid disappointment.

Stagefright Comedy Club is on Saturday, April 8; Endings is on Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 13. Getting On runs from Wednesday, April 19 to Saturday, April 29.

To book tickets for any of our productions, please visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or phone the Box Office on 01943 609539. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest news and backstage gossip!

by Claire Emmott