Comedy & music at Rother College

Midhurst Rother College’s fantastic theatre space is the setting for two high profile summer concerts just before the big August holiday getaway.

Promoted under the umbrella of the Petworth Festival which runs from Wednesday 13th to Saturday, 30th July the two headline events feature front rank comedian, star of Have I Got News for You, Mock the Week, Live from the Apollo and so much more Milton Jones (Wednesday, 27th July), and two of the most successful and entertaining singer/songwriters of the 80s and 90s, Beverley Craven and Judie Tzuke (Thursday, 28th July).

Talking about the two shows, festival director Stewart Collins enthuses “being able to put on shows in the Rother College theatre is such a bonus for the festival and gives us the opportunity to bring in performers of real stature and notoriety. Milton Jones, for example, is one of the straight-up-funniest comedians you will ever see with his brilliant string of trade mark one-liners, whilst the Beverley Craven/Judie Tzuke show is a very rare re-run of an amazing concert I saw a year or so back featuring two absolutely top artists who perform great repertoire and love working together – something that is so obvious to anyone in the audience”.

Craven and Tzuke’s show Strings Attached has an additional layer of glamour in the shape of the Gabriella Swallow string quartet, a quality ensemble of musicians who in their own right have played alongside Nigel Kennedy and his Jimi Hendrix project, as well as Petworth Festival favourites, the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.

Expect an evening that includes Brit Award winner Beverley Craven’s biggest hits including Promise Me, and Judie Tzuke’s Stay with Me Till Dawn.

Milton Jones is also in great company for the comedy night. He is supported by the only comedian currently living – or ever to have lived? – in the Tower of London, Tom Houghton. As he says of himself – “I’m from a very posh background. I’m trying to be humble about it, but it’s hard. Over Christmas I woke up and someone had put an ice-skating rink in our moat!”

The double bill is hosted by the literally larger-than-life Matt Barnard. Quite apart from cheering everyone at every possible moment, his beer drinking stunt is worth the price of the ticket alone!

Tickets and details www.petworthfestival.org.uk