Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2018
Clueless Does The 90’s: Online: 2020
Happy Mondays Comedy Lockdown T4 Virtual Zoom Special: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2021
London Comedy Allstars: Underbelly Festival, Spiegeltent, Cavendish Square, London, 2022
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2023
Sofa So Funny! The Angelic Pub, Islington, London, 2023
Women Are(n’t Funny): A Comedy Night in Aid of Refuge: Camden beer Hall, London, 2024
Esther Manito: Slagbomb: Soho Theatre, London, 2025
On her debut at Always Be Comedy in 2018, Esther Manito had some great jokes and stories about the trials of motherhood. As a woman of Arab descent with self-confessed lots of hair, she told real stories about being a wife, daughter, mother and teacher. She delivered the material with flair, confidence and real gusto that made the audience easily laugh out loud.
Manito featured in Clueless Does The 90’s, an online comedy gameshow that I watched in November 2020 where nostalgia ruled. The comedian drew 90’s eyebrows on her face which were swiftly got rid of after discussion with the other comedians in the Pack The Bin Round. Manito was engaging, enthusiastic and lively during the show.
I watched the comedian appear as a guest for Happy Mondays Comedy Lockdown online in January 2021. She was effortlessly funny and made me roar with laughter talking about life in lockdown.
Manito appeared live for an Always Be Comedy showcase in September 2021 and again for London Comedy Allstars at the Underbelly Festival that I watched in June 2022. On both occasions, she was lively, confident, and very enthusiastic as she discussed family life and relationships to an enthused crowd.
The comedian appeared for Always Be Comedy in Kennington again in February 2023, headlined the Sofa So Funny! show case in November 2023 and was a superb closing guest for Women Are(n’t) Funny: A Comedy Night in Aid of Refuge at the Camden Beer Hall in London in March 2024. Delighting the enthused crowds, she was superb at creating characters and stories that had the audiences consistently laughing out loud.
I saw her new solo show, Slagbomb at the Soho Theatre in London in September 2025. Subjects covered included holidays, husbands who never listen and being a working-class Essex mum. A brilliant angry and hilarious ranter, she delivered the stories with such achingly funny attitude and frankness, it was impossible not to enjoy the hour.
Manito has the gift of being effortlessly funny and is highly recommended.