All stories by Rachael Healy on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

'It's everything I wanted': how standups swapped the fringe for Twitch by Rachael Healy

There has been a huge comedy boom on the gaming platform, enabling acts such as Bilal Zafar to gain creative control and reach new audiences A Bonjela-addicted football manager berates his p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Friday, December 11, 2020

Standups and sex workers unite: 'I can joke about it because I've done it' by Rachael Healy

Carmen Ali and Siân Docksey are among the comedians who riff on their experiences as strippers. The pandemic has revealed both industries to be precarious – but they’re looking out for …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:32AM
Thursday, October 29, 2020

'Women are tired of having to walk men through it': the male comics standing up for #metoo by Rachael Healy

The world of standup has been rocked by allegations of sexual harassment and assault – and finally some men in the industry are vowing to tackle it When US comedian Kelly Bachman found her…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Don't mock the pasties!: Inside Cornwall's standup scene by Rachael Healy

In the UK’s most southwesterly county a burgeoning standup scene thrives everywhere from remote village halls and old bakeries to the cliffside Minack theatre A cliff edge, an old bakery …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24PM
Friday, September 4, 2020

'You can tell jokes here you can't tell anywhere else' – inside Leicester's comedy scene by Rachael Healy

Pun fights in boxing rings, nine-year-old standups and a 19-day joke-a-thon … anything goes in vibrant, diverse Leicester, finds our writer as she continues her comedy tour It is the home …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:02AM
Wednesday, August 5, 2020

'It's creepy and uncomfortable': the sexism, harassment and assault faced by female standups by Rachael Healy

For years, sexual predators have infested the live comedy scene. But female comedians are demanding action. Is this British standup’s #MeToo moment? ‘If this was a normal office where, o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Sunday, July 12, 2020

Pass the green screen, granny! The comics pushing homemade videos to new heights by Rachael Healy

Comedians’ old YouTube skits are enjoying a revival in lockdown. And now standups are returning to online video – to push its possibilities even further At a house party in the north-eas…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:54AM
Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Ready for a roasting? Inside Belfast's standup scene by Rachael Healy

It’s the only place in the world where jokes about local councillors work. But is Belfast’s sharp-tongued comedy circuit becoming less hostile to outsiders? Patrick Kielty’s first Belf…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:48AM
Tuesday, June 2, 2020

'It's like the wild west!' – inside Cardiff's heckle-heavy comedy scene by Rachael Healy

How do you make audiences laugh in a town that hates show-offs and loves to hassle performers? Our writer gets some hot tips as she continues her comedy tour In 2005, you could fit the whole…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:42AM
Tuesday, May 26, 2020

'I'd love to see their parents' bank accounts': corona and comedy's class divide by Rachael Healy

From care work to shelf-stacking, many standups have taken up jobs to survive lockdown – highlighting how privilege has created a two-tier system in comedy On 16 March, when Boris Johnson …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:54AM
Sunday, April 19, 2020

'We laugh at dark things': inside Glasgow's upfront comedy scene by Rachael Healy

Wit and four-letter artistry have made Glasgow a comedy stronghold – and with the clubs shut, the laughs are going online Glaswegian comedians haven’t always been complimentary about the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:12PM
Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Seriously funny: political comedians on humour in horrific times by Rachael Healy

The Mash Report has always turned tough topics into comedy. As it returns in lockdown, host Nish Kumar and standups Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Tom Mayhew talk about satire’s role in a crisi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Sunday, March 8, 2020

Sarcasm and sausages: Manchester's tough crowds make comedians sizzle by Rachael Healy

Amateur nights, ‘chaos energy’ and jokes about yeast … Our writer continues her UK comedy tour and discovers Mancunians’ appetite for the alternative It’s Manchester’s first ever…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:32PM
Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Howay the laughs! Is there a Geordie sense of humour? by Rachael Healy

We’re brutal, awkward, daft and surreal, say the rising stars of Tyneside’s booming comedy scene. Our writer braces herself for a gag-heavy night on the toon Anyone who’s had a night o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:36AM
Monday, January 13, 2020

Joy of pecs: Jessica Fostekew, the weightlifting comic shredding body fascism by Rachael Healy

When her trainer called muscly women ‘unfeminine’, the standup turned her outrage into a hilarious show full of sweat, barbells, chalk and childbirth Jessica Fostekew felt nervous yester…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:36AM
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Congratulations, you played yourself: comics who fictionalise their lives by Rachael Healy

Larry David took the role of “Larry David” onscreen. But how close are such characters to real life? Three comics starring as versions of themselves reveal where they draw the line Fans …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18AM
Tuesday, August 20, 2019

When the fringe is no joke: minding your mental health in Edinburgh by Rachael Healy

Performing at the festival can be a taxing experience. Objectively Funny has created a peer support network that turns attention offstage It’s lunchtime in Edinburgh’s Old Town and I’v…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:33PM
Wednesday, December 20, 2017

'Improv saved my life': the comedy classes helping people with anxiety by Rachael Healy

Once the domain of aspiring performers, improv courses are increasingly being attended by students experiencing mental health problems“Your heart’s beating faster, you feel all these eye…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:48AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime