‘A jewel in the crown of Nottingham nightlife’ Leftlion.
What is Just the Tonic? We are Nottingham’s very own home grown comedy club and have been bringing the best and the new comedians to this city for 16 years. Run by Darrell Martin, it started off as a Sunday night venture in The Old Vic, on Fletchergate in 1994.
The first night had Phil Jupitus and Paul Tonkinson. Darrell could be seen out every night annoying the local pub owners by flyering the tables of every decent drinking house in town. Then on a Sunday night he’d lose all his money on a disaster. Over time this changed. Just the Tonic became known as one of the best clubs in the country. We have put on gigs in The Malt Cross (anyone remember seeing Peter Kay there?), Loxleys (short lived disaster of a pub), Cabaret (fluffed up Old Vic), the grounds of the Castle, The Playhouse, The Royal Concert Hall, Theatre Royal and Bunkers Hill. In that time we’ve booked gigs all over, including Shanghai. We manage comedians, have got a critically acclaimed club in Leicester Square and we produce shows and run a venue at The Edinburgh Festival.
We’ve brought all the big names to Nottingham - they’ve nearly all played at Just the Tonic at some time. There is something undefineable about the club that makes the acts want to come back. It is a very local club with a massive national notoriety.
We now have a permanent place in The Forum within The Cornerhouse. We can now put on shows any day of the week. We have chosen Friday and Saturday as they are play days. We’re sticking with our Sundays as well, auditioning new people on a Tuesday and chucking other stuff on when we can. Loads of big names, loads of little prices, heaps of massive laughs.
If you're looking for a comedy night out in Nottingham, then look no further than Just the Tonic.
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