Musical Comedy Awards 2024 finalists

The WeGotTickets Musical Comedy Awards are prepping for their 16th final, which is in London this coming Saturday (13th April).

Having taken part in a number of knockout heats, 12 acts are now ready to follow in the footsteps of previous finalists like Abandoman, Rachel Parris, Mae Martin and Jay Foreman.

Nick Horseman, the MCA's long-time resident MC, will be overseeing proceedings again and, whilst the judges deliberate, the audience will also be treated to a headline set by best-selling electronic music duo and Norwegian Rears of the Year 2020, Fjord (who do look a bit like the sketch act Giants, AKA Barney Fishwick and former MCA winner Will Hislop).

You can see the list of finalists below, with the biographies they have supplied.

Alex Camp

Alex Camp has been called "one of the best musical acts currently on the UK comedy circuit" - a growing reputation earned by fusing a genuine skill for tight, lean joke writing with excellent original comedy songs. 2024 saw his show Songs About Love and Food nominated for Best Variety Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival and secured for a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Amelia Bayler

Amelia Bayler (Best Newcomer, Scottish Comedy Awards) does a fun mix of musical comedy and stand-up. Her show was featured in Rolling Stone's 12 stand out shows of the fringe and they also described her as being 'on a one-woman mission to make musical comedy cool again.' The Skinny say 'expect catchy songs about cult snacks and immaculate vibes' and The Scotsman say she is a 'snack food nu-rave pioneer.' As featured on BBC Scotland's The Comedy Underground, Channel 4 Sparks and BBC Sounds. Co-host of the Joy Agenda pod with Jay Lafferty.

Anna Hale

Anna Hale was born a show-off and raised on High School Musical. She worked in the musical theatre industry from 2014 (including playing Olivia Colman's daughter in a really, really niche film), before realising she might be able to get more attention if she did comedy. And that's really what matters the most. Anna made her comedy debut in October 2023, in her solo show Control Freak, which sold out 2Northdown twice, and has since had a private performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre. She then trained in stand-up with Gemma Leader at Above Your Nerve. Anna posts acapella arrangements, musical impressions, and other nonsense on social media. Her online content has accumulated over 3 million views, and has been shared by artists such as Chris Martin from Coldplay and Lily Allen. Elton John is yet to respond.

Ash Weir

Originally hailing from Sheffield, Ash Weir is an East-London-based comedian, actor and writer. She was a member of the Cambridge Footlights during her time at uni and toured internationally in her final year. Her comedy generally involves story-based and character-centric stand up and comedy songs musing on feminism, autobiography and wordplay and her humour is hugely influenced by British sitcoms of the noughties. Think if Victoria Wood was a hopeless bisexual who went to Cambridge in the 2010s. Reviewers have described her as a 'one-woman-comedy-whirlwind [with] hints of Victoria Wood, Tim Minchin and EastEnd Cabaret' (Varsity 2017), 'especially entertaining' (Rewrite This Story 2022) and 'particularly great [with] laughs a plenty and strong characterisation' (Sardines 2022). She worries that this head-shot was a bit too posey.

Ben Pollard

Daddy's boy Ben Pollard (BBC One, OutTV) is a previous So You Think You're Funny? and LGBTQ New Comedian of the Year finalist. You may have seen him on telly in the BBC New Comedy Awards, or maybe you haven't... which is also fine... I guess.

Emily Cairns

Musical comedy gets a glow up with Emily Cairns - a musical comedian, professionally trained singer, and cheeky northern lass. Her masterfully performed, catchy assortment of Jazz and Pop influenced songs that takes an irreverent look at all the struggles of being a millennial woman, will be stuck in your head, all the way home.

Jay Bennett as Frank Friendzione

Frank Friendzioni, sixth member of sexiest 90s boy band N'SYNC (reserve team) is very excited to be performing in the MCA finals, replacing his on again / off again lover @thegorgeous_diva. He's looking forward to romancing all the baby girls in the audience, cos he's definitely had sex with a female and he's really good at it. Yours in love and music, Frank x

Lila Robirosa

(Over)thinking out loud is Lila's favourite flavour of existence. Her chaos-infused comedy is themed around her self-identification as an 'anxious bisexual' and also around that one time she (spoiler alert) contracted dysentery from Wetherspoons. In 2022 she toured her "joyous and hilarious" one woman comedy show The Not-12 Days of Not-Christmas around London to sold-out audiences. In 2023 her storytelling-based style won her the Comedy Virgins crown and GAG Race at The Queer Comedy Club. In 2024 she became a Max Turner Comedy Award finalist and will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time.

Luc Valvona as Baron Fortitude

Victorian rapper, Baron Fortitude, is here to teach you why 19th century life was superior to modernity, via the medium of hip-hop. Carefully enunciated and frightfully witty lyrics about the Victorian era, atop a mixture of vintage jazz samples and fresh beats, are interspersed with stand-up and historical facts.

Luke Nixon as Jim Midge

Luke Nixon is an observational comedian mixed with musical and character comedy stylings. At the final he will be performing his character Jim Midge. Luke is a Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year finalist. "A Barnstorming Energy" - Chortle. West End New Act of the Year finalist. Co-writer of comedy musical Jesus & Lucifer the Greatest Love Story Never Told!. "Luke has funny bones" - Jenny Eclair. Luke is the co-creator of Catastrophe Cabaret which was listed as one of the "Top Comedy Nights in London" by Design My Night.

Sang Don Park

Sang is a South Korean comedian, who has performed in various cities around the world, including London. Though he is a high-energy comedian, he also makes an effort to thoroughly heed his audience as well to carry out the best performance for the crowd. His comedy styles include observational, cultural, and some improvisational riffs as well. Also, as an experienced Beatboxer, he incorporates some music and sound effects into his set as well. With his unique multi-cultural background and his extensive music knowledge, he provides an original experience for the crowd.

Tom Towelling

Tom Towelling was previously one half of the award winning double act Good Kids, known for their knockabout sketches and songs. Tom brings a touch of surrealism to his comedy, which is, at its heart, extremely daft.

Best Newcomer: The Queens of Cups

The final will also feature a set from The Queens of Cups, who have won this year's Best Newcomer title. They began performing as a musical comedy duo in 2023, but have been making theatre since 2020. Bonded by a passion for creating funny, entertaining, yet challenging work that champions woman voices, they first harnessed their Big Pussy Energy™ with their one woman show, Bad Teacher. After two five star, sell-out runs at Underbelly for EdFringe, another sold out run at VAULTs, Bad Teacher finished its journey (for now) this October at the Pleasance. The Queens have a television pilot adaptation of Bad Teacher that they are currently developing.

Promoters Ed Chappel and Tamara Cowan say: "We have an amazing group of finalists this year! We have acts from all over the UK, even from as far as the Isle of Wight and Glasgow! The show is almost sold out (just a few stalls left and a few up in the Circle). Grab one of the last tickets and join us at the Bloomsbury for the annual celebration of musical comedy in the UK - the 16th WeGotTickets MCA!"

The 2024 WeGotTickets MCA Final is at The Bloomsbury Theatre at 7:30pm on Saturday 13th April. Info & Tickets