BEAUTIFUL EVIL THINGS and More Set For Hackney Empire in 2024

Artistic Director Yamin Choudury and the whole team at Hackney Empire have announced details of additional new shows for 2024, including comedy, music, theatre and live podcasts, with tickets for all performances now on sale. Learn more about the full lineup below!

COMEDY

1Xtra's Comedy Gala on 13 March is a night full of laughter and celebration of household names and new voices on the black comedy circuit. Hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtra's very own Eddie Kadi, expect an unforgettable show of good vibes and entertainment. The full line-up includes Babatunde Aléshe, Gbemi Oladipo, Kane Brown, Kyrah Gray, Michael Odewale, Ola Labib, Slim and Thanyia Moore.

London's biggest comedy night, Live at the Empire, returns with a mega line-up on 26 April, headlined by the much-loved QI, Jonathan Creek and As Yet Untitled star Alan Davies. Alan is joined by some of the finest comics in the land: the masterful Tim Key, the multi award-winning Bridget Christie, Hackney's very own rising star Faitha El-Ghorri and Taskmaster champ turned queen of the ice, Lou Sanders, hosts.

Hannah Berner headlines the Hackney Empire main stage on 24 and 25 May. Named one of Variety's Top Ten Comics to Watch and Just For Laughs “New Faces of Comedy,” Hannah is known for her viral digital series, Han on the Street, in which she has interviewed stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra, Kesha and Julia Fox. Hannah also has two podcasts, Berner Phone and Giggly Squid with over 50 million combined downloads. 

In this election year, with the country in turmoil, there's only one comedian who can kill the mood even further. Nish Kumar (The Mash Report, Taskmaster, Pod Savethe UK, Live at the Apollo) brings his brand new politically-charged stand-up show – Nish, Don't Kill My Vibe – to the Hackney Empire on 7 September. Expect jokes on climate collapse, income equality and the emotional sensation of being a British Indian man who isn't going to vote for a British Indian Prime Minister.

Fresh from a barnstorming UK tour in 2023, the "acid-tongued, funny to the bone” (Time Out) Myra Dubois brings her show Be Well to the Hackney Empire on 14 September. With her passion for compassion and flair for giving care, the “bust a gut funny” (Graham Norton) Myra Dubois calls out to the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and tyrannised of the world with her manifesto for mental health: AdMyrism! But are you ready to receive the call?

Fin Taylor, fresh from the viral success of his hit web series Fin vs. The Internet, shares a new hour of brutally funny stand-up on 1 November. When he's not in a roll neck making influencers squirm, Fin has appeared on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You, The Mash Report, and Comedy Central's Roast Battle.

Having supported some of the biggest comedians in the UK, including Micky Flanagan, Jason Manford and Kae Kurd, Eshaan Akbar brings his much-anticipated tour to the Hackney Empire on 12 April 2025. Eshaan has appeared on Sex Education, Mock the Week, QI, Live at the Apollo and Comedy Central Live, along with being heard on award-winning podcasts Have A Word, Ninetwentynine, and Spitting Image.

MUSIC

Come and see London's friendliest choir, London City Voices, present songs by the best of pop's boy bands and girl groups, as well as few marvellous manufactured pop groups. On 12 April, this awesome choir of over 300 singers will be performing lots of your boy/girl band favourites. Expect songs by Take That, the Spice Girls, the Drifters, Girls Aloud and many more!

Join the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kristian Sallinen on 14 May for an exciting adventure featuring trolls, space, and dancing cowboys, with classical music from the BBCSO's Ten Pieces. Suitable for Key Stage 2, these concerts are free to attend for all schools in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest.

LIVE PODCAST RECORDINGS

90s Baby Show Live brings the award-winning podcast onstage for a live recording on 11 May, brought to you by Fred Santana, Temi Alchemy and VP discussing life experiences from a 90s baby perspective. The evening will be filled with laughter, games and giveaways, good vibes and hot topics.

Following on from her iconic sold-out London event earlier this year, join bestselling author Caroline O'Donoghue as she hosts a live recording of her hit podcast Sentimental Garbage Live on 2 June. Joined by a special guest on stage, Caroline will discuss the popular culture we love, that society loves to hate. Indulging in conversations about life, love and living through your thirties, this evening promises to be equal parts honest, hilarious and heart filled.

THEATRE

Beautiful Evil Things on 21 May is a high-energy one-woman show from Ad Infinitum. Combining physical storytelling with cut-throat wit, this acerbically comic, thrilling and poignant show, “bring tears to your eyes and raises your heart rate” (The Guardian). This is a BSL integrated and captioned performance.

What if there was another take on the Trojan War, an untold breathtaking adventure you'd never heard before? Enter Medusa. She was there. Monstrous gorgon? Snakes for hair? A turn-to-stone glare? Perhaps. But she was there – as a bodiless head strapped to the shield of a goddess. Her forever-open-eyes saw it all: Epic combat. Mighty swords. Giant horse-sculptures filled with men. But as the war raged on, Medusa's petrifying gaze focused on three extraordinary women who might just hold the key to her ultimate hope.

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