April Foolery is a fund-raising night of comedy and music in memory of an inspirational Hampstead teacher.
During three decades teaching English at UCS in Frognal, David Lund organised concerts by jazz and comedy legends - from Ronnie Scott to Barry Cryer, and Fry and Laurie.
He left a gift in his will to education charity Eastside, which established the Lund Fund to offer creative opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Now in its second year, April Foolery at The Criterion in the West End is hosted by former UCS head boy and Mock the Week comic Hugh Dennis, who lives in Highgate.
Also on the bill for the April 24 show is The National Youth Jazz Orchestra as house band, and comics Angela Barnes, Travis Jay, Rhys James, Ania Magliano, Glenn Moore and Simon Brodkin.
Known for his pranks on the likes of Theresa May and Sepp Blatter, Brodkin is a former UCS pupil who is currently touring his solo stand up show Screwed Up. He took time out to answer a few questions.
Q: You grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb how was that?
A: Calm, suburban and gentle. That said, I was raised on the south side of HGS, I heard it got pretty intense on the north side. For people who don’t know Hampstead Garden Suburb it’s a very leafy, affluent area in North London. Put it this way, I used to think going to Hampstead was dangerous.
Q: April Foolery is a fundraiser in memory of a UCS teacher - it's good of you to turn up considering the school expelled you.
A: My time there wasn’t bad at all actually, I still have fond memories of getting hit over the head by Mr Wells if I wasn’t concentrating in physics class. It’s obviously a great school otherwise they would never get away with making the kids wear maroon and black striped blazers. I still put mine on from time to time if I ever feel like getting mugged. I actually got suspended, not expelled and I still maintain it was a gross miscarriage of justice. I’m only doing the gig to show the school they can never get rid of me.
Q: In hindsight it perhaps supplied good comedy material..when did you decide to become a stand up?
A: Probably when I was still at school. At the start of every lesson, Mr Quy would stand at the front of the classroom, lift up his shirt, show us his large belly and ask us if he’d lost any weight. Comedic inspiration right there.
Q: Your show Screwed Up mentions five arrests - can you give us a flavour of what they were for?
A: They were all following my stunts on the likes of Sepp Blatter, Theresa May, Donald Trump. So all for a good cause. I talk about them in this new tour, and people must be enjoying the stories as the dates have sold out. In fact I’ve just added 40 extra shows in the UK and US.
Q: What else do you talk about in the show?
A: Celebrity culture, social media, Putin, Prince Andrew and Jesus. I talk about my family, my mental health and how I once found myself at an underground sex party. It’s a fun show.
Q: What's been you favourite prank and why?
A: Every police cell has its own set of fond memories but with the last World Cup being laughably handed to Qatar, the time I threw hundreds of dollars over Sepp Blatter as a bribe for the World Cup to be hosted by North Korea, brought a smile to my face.
Simon Brodkin's critically acclaimed 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Screwed Up, is on a 100 date + extended tour, including a run at London’s Leicester Square Theatre from Friday 2 to Saturday 10 June. For dates and tickets, visit https://www.simonbrodkin.com/
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