Matt Forde: Defying Calamity
Thu 21 May 2026
Chelmsford Theatre
Tuesday 17 March 2026
What is the best orange thing in the world? Aperol spritz? Sunsets? Claudia Winkleman? You probably never stopped to think about what your favourite orange thing was, but you’re damn sure thinking about it now. Maybe it’s marmalade, or maybe it’s Garfield, or maybe it’s the album ‘Channel Orange’ by Frank Ocean. There’s just so many to consider. And no one on earth has considered more of them than Ivo Graham.
Ivo Graham has always been a fan of orange things. Baked beans. Sriracha mayo. The Tiger Who Came To Tea. But in 2025, a series of emotional days in his favourite colour prompted Ivo to commit harder than ever to the bit: colour-coordinating his life for his daughter, for his mother, for his football team, and, he desperately hopes, for your entertainment. Come and help this orange lunatic make his orange list, in a show about hats, haters, hometown heroes, and whether Hare Krishnas are better than Hobnobs.
"Few stand-ups can waffle so winningly" - The Telegraph
"Graham in glorious technicolour" - The Guardian
Members get priority booking and save money on bookings.
Located in the heart of Chelmsford's West End, we are only a 10-minute walk from Chelmsford train station and a short distance from many of the city's car parks.
Chelmsford Train Station is a short walk from the Theatre. You can look at Greater Anglia to check which trains stop at Chelmsford Station.
Chelmsford Bus Station is just around the corner from the Theatre. You can look at First Essex to check which buses stop at the Chelmsford Bus Station.
The closest parking to the Theatre can be found at Townfield Street car park (open till 11pm Mon to Sat but closes at 6pm on Sun), Coval Lane car park (entrance via Rainsford Lane, open all hours) and Fairfield Road car park, (entrance via Coval Lane, open all hours but there are restrictions in place Mon to Fri before 5pm, Fairfield Road car park is also used extensively by people visiting the city in general and travelling to London on the train so can be very busy at all times).
Visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/car-parks for information on all carparks before your visit. Charges apply at all times.
All Chelmsford City Council car parks are now cashless. You can still pay by card, contactless payment or the MiPermit app.
Our café and box office are open Monday to Saturday 10am to 3pm. The Box Office is closed on bank holidays unless there is a performance.
Outside of the times above the building will open 90 minutes before an event.
Chelmsford Theatre
Fairfield Road
Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 1JG
Box Office: 01245 606505
Email: boxoffice@chelmsford.gov.uk
Enjoy priority booking, exclusive discounts and more