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comedy · Friday 18 September 2026 · Evening - see venue for exact time 
Mike Rice: Cruel Little Man at Mandela Hall Belfast
At Mandela Hall · Belfast, Co. Antrim
At Mandela Hall · Belfast, Co. Antrim
Mike Rice, the Newcastle-born stand-up known for his rapid, crowd-work-heavy style, brings his touring hour Cruel Little Man to Mandela Hall in Belfast on Friday 18 September 2026. Rice built a large following through clips of his live improvised crowd work circulating online, and this show is a fuller, scripted hour rather than the shorter viral bits, giving Belfast audiences a chance to see the material behind the reputation.
Expect blunt, fast-talking Geordie humour with plenty of audience interaction worked into the structure of the set, alongside the more considered written material that makes up the bulk of the hour. Rice’s stage persona is loud and self-deprecating in equal measure, and the show is pitched at an adult audience comfortable with a bit of crowd banter.
Mandela Hall is a mid-sized live room that regularly switches between gigs, club nights and touring comedy, so expect a standing or mixed-seating layout rather than a formal theatre setup, which suits the crowd-work-heavy style Rice is known for. A comedian who built his profile through short, viral clips can sometimes struggle to translate that into a full hour, but the touring circuit slot here suggests promoters are confident the material holds up at length.
Mandela Hall is in Belfast city centre, within walking distance of the Europa Bus Centre and Great Victoria Street train station, and served by several Metro and Glider routes. City centre multi-storey car parks on Alfred Street and Clarence Street are the closest options for anyone driving.
There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
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