Stand-up show «David Alfie Ward & Friends»

   A British comic who has been on BBC and ITV steps onto the stage of a Saigon cafe for one night only, with four more acts warming the room up before him. If you have not laughed out loud among strangers in a while, here is your reason to spend Friday away from a screen.

   The headliner is David Alfie Ward, a comedian from the UK who has toured mainland Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, the USA and Australia. At home he is known from TalkSPORT, Capital FM, ITV, The Metro, BBC 5 Live, BT Sport and LADbible: he hosted The Stand Up Sketch Show and did television warm-up for Mo Gilligan and for Harry and Jamie Redknapp.

   He has opened for Jamali Maddix, Darren Harriott and Michelle Wolf, and two of them supplied the lines printed on the poster: Michelle Wolf calls him a naturally funny comic with real charisma, Jamali Maddix calls him funny and fearless.

   Five performers take the stage:

• — David Alfie Ward — headliner, United Kingdom;
• — Shahqil Shah — feature act from Singapore;
• — Matt Tran — the Vietnamese stand-up scene;
• — Paul Villanova — Australia;
• — Ankita Ghosh — resident host of the nights.

   The night suits anyone who misses club stand-up with a room that reacts, and expats who want English-language comedy without flying home. For Vietnamese audiences it is a rare chance to hear British delivery next to local acts in one running order.

   It is put together by Saigon International Comedy, the team that brings international comedy acts to expats, locals and visitors of Ho Chi Minh City, together with Yoko Cafe itself: both names sit side by side on the poster as co-presenters.

   Booking ahead is cheaper than paying at the door: 200,000 VND online against 250,000 VND on the night. The promo bundles, two seats for 300,000 VND and three for 450,000 VND, are sold online only and cannot be bought at the entrance. The organiser warns that, given the nature of the material, the show is for audiences aged 16 and above.

   The poster, the announcement and the line-up are all in English, so the show runs in English; the organiser has announced no translation and no subtitles.

   Doors open at 20:00, half an hour before the show.

   Five comics, one stage and a Friday night in the centre of town — book early and arrive when the doors open.