On Thursday evening this week Stag and Hen Manchester were invited down to what we believe to be the best Manchester comedy club the Frog and Bucket to experience a comedy evening in the Northern Quarter just a few minutes walk from the Printworks. We were thrilled and gratefully accepted the invite as we tend to use this venue wherever possible for a Stag Comedy Evening or Hen Comedy Evening.
The doors to the Frog and Bucket will open at 7pm and the shows at the weekends will tend to start at 8.15pm. We decided we would get there quite promptly and arrived at the main entrance and gave our lead name, (no actual tickets are exchanged), and the bouncer let us through. (stags it is at this point you will be asked for a crisp ten pound note per stag as a good behaviour bond if you wish to enter – It is not intended to put you off it only acts as a safeguard to ensure you all enjoy the entire night as if one of your group is ejected you will lose the whole lot)
A member of the Frog and Bucket team will then lead you through into the venue itself. The Frog and Bucket is a small venue split between the ground floor and balcony. Everyone regardless of whether you are eating with your tickets or not gets a seat around a variety of tables. It ranges from a bar stool and table for those smaller groups not eating to long thin tables or 6ft rounds for those that are. There are also some smaller booths upstairs on the balcony. For your Manchester Hen or Stag Comedy evening don’t worry as you will all either be on the one large table or you will be split across two tables right next door to one another. Our table was smack bang in front of the stage which for a ginger haired lad meant Mike was in for some good natured ribbing!!
The other essential for a Manchester Comedy Club is a good bar and the Frog and Bucket doesn’t disappoint with a large ground floor bar and smaller balcony bar upstairs so you are never more than feet away from liquid refreshment. The only decision you need to make is are you prepared to get up in the middle of the show and risk being seen by the comedian to go and get the next round in!
So we had arrived and sat down and decided to have some of the food that is on offer as all our Manchester Stag comedy evening and Hen comedy evening tickets include two courses. We went for a pizza and curry to start with and both were good for what they were and followed it up with some chocolate cookie and cheesecake. Now Stags and Hens the food does a job and is very nice for what it is but just don’t be expecting restaurant standard from a smaller comedy club as your expectations probably won’t be met. In our opinion other Manchester comedy clubs offer the same standard as it is an additional thought and not what the clubs are set up to do. There isn’t a set time for having your food and plenty of people decided to eat during the comedy itself when it started but with a large group I would suggest using that first hour or so to get it out of the way so you can fully concentrate on the hilarious comedians.
The comedy itself generally lasts until about 11pm and is split into manageable segments so that there are breaks in between and the show is kept together by a hired in MC who is also a comedian to get a bit of banta with the audience. One of our favourite comedians from the night was Paul Tonkinson a previous winner of Best Comedy Performer at Jongleurs amongst other things but you never know who might be on or popping in as the Frog and Bucket spawned the famous like Johnny Vegas for example and he has been known to pop back unannounced every now and then to. One piece of advice though it is adult humour so those with delicate sensitivities this probably isn’t the best Manchester Stag or Hen activity for you.
Come close of the comedy show the chairs and tables are removed downstairs and very quickly the Frog and Bucket reverts from Comedy Club into small exclusive disco with hits from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s until 2am for those that don’t wish to make the short walk to the Printworks and worry about getting in elsewhere. This time though we didn’t hang around for it but it’s great fun for those that like a bit of retro cheese.
Stags remember to get your behaviour bond money back at the end of the evening as stags very rarely get thrown out and lose it that way but have been known to forget to collect it on the way out at the end of the night!!
All in all a fabulous night and our thanks go to the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester for the invitation.
So why do we recommend the Frog and Bucket over other Comedy Club options. It is because with a smaller capacity of 200 sat on tables in groups rather than theatre style, additional food and drink to have during the show, a comedy pedigree and a position close to the ever popular bars of the Northern Quarter and the Printworks bar and club complex at Shudehill it has the full package.
For additional pictures and videos check out our youtube channel, facebook site and twitter pages as the pictures will give you more of a feel for the venue aswell. Then for any queries or if you wish to book regardless if you are stag or hen, private individual or group feel free to get in touch on info@stagandhenmanchester.co.uk or by telephone on 0161 223 0417.
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