I’ve Heard This One Before
Kill Your Darlings

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
-
Hello?? Anyone there??
-
Is anybody out there?!
-
Please!!? PLEASE??!?!??
*
I've Heard This One Before is a bold and bizarre two-hander that dives headfirst into the strange overlap between absurdity and anxiety, humour and heart, punchlines and panic.
Set in a liminal performance space that feels part comedy club, part purgatory, the show pairs a deeply insecure stand-up comic with a clueless drum-playing clown, and blends live comedy, live looping—and live existential dread. Through a cacophony of tenuous jokes and ill-timed ba-dum-tss’s, the duo attempt to unravel the fragile mechanics of what makes us laugh while the world burns (or maybe falls apart in an agonisingly slow manner), ask why we tell the same jokes and expect different results, and clamber for your sweet, beautiful validation.
Drawing on the psychological theory of “benign violation”—that comedy emerges when something is wrong, but still safe—the show unpacks the absurdity of existence with a wink, a cymbal crash, and a creeping sense of unease. It’s part stand-up set, part breakdown, and part live music experiment, where every sound, every silence, and every chuckle is constantly on the verge of collapse.
Who's there?
-
Hello?? Anyone there??
-
Is anybody out there?!
-
Please!!? PLEASE??!?!??
*
I've Heard This One Before is a bold and bizarre two-hander that dives headfirst into the strange overlap between absurdity and anxiety, humour and heart, punchlines and panic.
Set in a liminal performance space that feels part comedy club, part purgatory, the show pairs a deeply insecure stand-up comic with a clueless drum-playing clown, and blends live comedy, live looping—and live existential dread. Through a cacophony of tenuous jokes and ill-timed ba-dum-tss’s, the duo attempt to unravel the fragile mechanics of what makes us laugh while the world burns (or maybe falls apart in an agonisingly slow manner), ask why we tell the same jokes and expect different results, and clamber for your sweet, beautiful validation.
Drawing on the psychological theory of “benign violation”—that comedy emerges when something is wrong, but still safe—the show unpacks the absurdity of existence with a wink, a cymbal crash, and a creeping sense of unease. It’s part stand-up set, part breakdown, and part live music experiment, where every sound, every silence, and every chuckle is constantly on the verge of collapse.
Event Details
Genre: Theatre
Duration: 60 mins
Price: £13
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Information
Suitable for ages: 16 and over
World premiere
See venue page for accessibility information.