AFTER sold-out and award-winning runs across the Australian Fringe Festival circuit, Marcel Cole and his mother Katie are bringing their hit show The Ukulele Man on the road to the New England region.

In partnership with Arts North West, the sensational story of George Formby is set to delight audiences in Barraba, Gunnedah, Baan Baa and Tamworth from July 17-20.

The Ukulele Man is the true story of wartime comedian and ukulele legend George Formby.

From the music halls of Blackpool to the battlefields of Europe, this is the untold history of Britain’s greatest entertainer.

He was banned by the BBC and declared insane by his wife, and yet still became the UK’s biggest star.

The Ukulele Man will play four shows across the New England this month.

Join powerhouse mother-and-son duo Marcel and Katie Cole for an hour of music, comedy and storytelling as they take the audience back to an era when live performance was king, and pay homage to the greatest entertainer of them all.

The Barefoot Review said “Cole is a stunner . . . don’t miss this” and CityNews wrote “hugely enjoyable, brilliantly executed”.

The Ukulele Man, directed by Mirjana Ristevski, is written and performed by Marcel Cole, and features Katie Cole.

Awards include Best Cabaret – Adelaide Fringe Weekly Awards, 2024; Best Theatre – Newcastle Fringe, 2024; Spirit of Fringe Award – Sydney Fringe, 2024; Critical Stages Touring Development Award – Sydney Fringe, 2023; and Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award – Sydney Fringe, 2023.

The Ukulele Man will play at the Playhouse Hotel Barraba on July 17 at 6.30pm and the following day at the Civic Theatre, Gunnedah at 2pm.

On July 18, The Ukulele Man will be at the Baan Baa Hall at 3pm and the following day at the Capitol Theatre, Tamworth at 3pm.

Marcel Cole spent ten years training to be a ballet dancer but then realised he had more fun making people laugh than being beautiful.

Now, after studying theatre, mime and clown in London and Paris, he is touring the world with his award-winning shows.