All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales review – racy drag just in time for Christmas by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London‘America’s Next Drag Superstar’ presents Unwrapped, a tinsel-fringed riot of inappropriate Santa gags, Miley Cyrus covers and jaundiced humourJinkx Monsoon, the 201…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:12AM
Sunday, November 20, 2016

Zoe Lyons review – diverting riffs on outsider life by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, London The comedian’s Little Misfit show takes aim at tribalism, social awkwardness and British reserve, though her potent wit should land more blowsBy Zoe Lyons�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AM
Thursday, November 17, 2016

Stewart Lee review – Brexit, Trump and a history of bondage by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonPolitical cataclysms jostle with gags about kinky sex and selfie culture in a characteristically twisty and frequently brilliant show from the ‘ex-TV comic�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:03AM

Brian Logan: Can rock’n’roll save theatre’s tainted brand? by Brian Logan

If you work in contemporary theatre, you spend half your life fretting about how to reach beyond its small, perfectly formed audience.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 02:00AM
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

NextUp: can it become the Netflix for British standup comedy? by Brian Logan

NextUp will stream live comedy sets for a low subscription fee. Standups are excited, and will share 50% of the income – but will the new service attract a big enough audience to succeed?M…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AM
Monday, November 14, 2016

Catherine Tate review – droll superstar not bovvered by comeback pressure by Brian Logan

Hammersmith Apollo, LondonTate’s talent and personality propel this thrilling live comedy comeback that is peppered with TV sketch-show oldies, creaking gags and committed daftnessRed face…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06AM
Thursday, November 10, 2016

Mae Martin's candid bid to make sexuality 'one less thing kids worry about' by Brian Logan

The Canadian standup’s Radio 4 show expertly splices comedy, opinion and enlightenment to explore millennial gender fluidity and sexWoman’s Hour host Jenni Murray raised hackles the othe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:02AM
Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Tape Face review – whimsical party comedy from AGT alumnus by Brian Logan

Stables, Milton Keynes Fresh from a stint on America’s Got Talent, Sam Wills delivers a captivating set of skits that bring the audience on stage and celebrate the improbableAmerica’s G…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AM
Sunday, November 6, 2016

Russell Brand – Exposed review: good to have him back in a celebration of oddity by Brian Logan

Nottingham PlayhouseBack from comedic and political hibernation, swaggering as always but a little less potent in new show ExposedIt feels like another age, that still-recent time when Russe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:02PM
Friday, November 4, 2016

'A clown is innocent': Philippe Gaulier tips a bucket of water over creepy craze by Brian Logan

The scary pranksters with red noses and outsize shoes running amok on the streets are the antithesis of a great tradition, says the celebrated clown teacher Schools were barricaded, Hallowee…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:12PM
Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The rise and fall of the Invisible Dot, comedy's Factory Records by Brian Logan

The innovative outfit that cultivated talents such as Tim Key and Claudia O’Doherty is no more. So why, during this boom time for comedy, did it fail?Three weeks ago, it went into voluntar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:06PM
Monday, October 24, 2016

The Comedian's Guide to Survival: can you really learn to be a standup? by Brian Logan

A new film blurs fiction and reality with its tale of an aspiring comic. It asks to what extent you can study to become funny – or if you’re just born that way“The Comedian’s Guide t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:10AM
Saturday, October 22, 2016

Adam Riches review – an uproarious night of interactive tomfoolery by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonOnce you’re over your participation-phobia, Riches’ combination of broad character-comedy and coercive stunts makes for daft fun• Paul Flecky: ‘My job is to hurl …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:22PM
Thursday, October 20, 2016

Matt Forde review – lively mickey-take of Brexit-era omnishambles by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonIf the style is unadventurous, there are still plenty of good jokes as Forde scours the aftermath of the EU referendumBrexit comedy shows are coming thick and fast, and t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AM
Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Not heard the one about the Queen: why don't comedians criticise the monarchy? by Brian Logan

It’s the job of standups to hold institutions to account – laugh by laugh – so why aren’t more of them laying bare the anachronistic daftness of the royal family?Is it just me, or ar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:10AM
Sunday, October 16, 2016

Professor Brian Cox Live: it's a bracing feeling not to be talked down to by Brian Logan

Royal & Derngate, NorthamptonDizzying cosmology show provides workout for the brain, with one part entertainment to 13.8bn parts educationProfessor Brian Cox finds a lot of things “bea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:40AM
Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Al Murray, Pub Landlord review – pulling punches as well as pints by Brian Logan

Royal Albert Hall, LondonBrexit gifts the Little Englander a barrel-load of acidic spoofs, but this act seems content to serve up just the mildFor most of Al Murray’s career as The Pub Lan…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:46AM
Monday, October 10, 2016

Romesh Ranganathan's grumpy show is often bluntly funny – Edinburgh festival 2014 review by Brian Logan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghRanganathan has plenty to say about veganism, choosing schools and interracial relationships, but this is an uneven hour of comedyRomesh Ranganathan was nominat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:17AM
Sunday, October 9, 2016

Hans Teeuwen review – anti-PC standup demagnetises your moral compass by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe aggressively odd Dutch comedian skirts Bernard Manning territory, but also forces you to interrogate your opinions while you laugh in astonishment“I don’t know wh…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:44AM
Wednesday, October 5, 2016

America's Got Talent: a new route to stardom for Britain's fringe favourites by Brian Logan

After the success of Tape Face and Piff the Magic Dragon, purveyors of overlooked artforms might do well to swap panel-heavy British comedy for the StatesWhen I interviewed Sam Wills – AKA…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:21PM

Josie Long review – a wistfully witty bid to find a bright side to Brexit by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe usually sanguine standup draws laughs and skewers stereotypes with her account of being leftwing in a rightwing age“The David Bowie of standup,” comedian Nish Kum…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Sunday, October 2, 2016

Jerry Sadowitz: my fight for my friend by Brian Logan

Comic Jerry Sadowitz denounced Jimmy Savile years before he was exposed. Now, writes Brian Logan, he's asking why the death of his friend Mark Blanco has never been properly investigatedThe …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:55PM
Thursday, September 29, 2016

Banned Harry Hill gag shows a shift in attitudes to both comedy and gender by Brian Logan

Ofcom has censured an old episode of TV Burp, eight years after deeming its skit about a transgender man acceptable. It signals a sea change in how trans issues are treated on the small scre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:27AM
Saturday, September 24, 2016

Was Terry Gilliam right to call the Monty Python reunion 'depressing'? by Brian Logan

Are the Python's comments damagingly off-message or warming us up for shows that will be more than a cynical nostalgia fest?Were you excited when you heard Monty Python were reuniting for li…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00PM
Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse: Legends! review – gentle pleasure of old acquaintances by Brian Logan

Brighton CentreA familiar cast of indelible comic characters and pithy catchphrases imbue the veteran duo’s live show with a comforting glowTo open their first live show, commemorating 25 …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:50PM

The new offenders of standup comedy | Brian Logan by Brian Logan

Political correctness used to rule comedy, but now comics routinely offend their audiences. How did things get so nasty?• Richard Herring and Brendon Burns complained about this article; t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:27AM

Hans Teeuwen: 'I mock Islam … but I make it funny' by Brian Logan

On stage, the absurdist Dutch comedian is all fairytales and silly songs. Off it, he’s a deadly serious – and controversial – political campaigner. He talks fun, failure and freedom of…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:25AM
Monday, September 19, 2016

The Pajama Men review – surreal swashbucklers do Dumas by Brian Logan

Cambridge JunctionPickling The Three Musketeers in their loopy imaginations, the storytelling double-act delight with a series of ad-libbed sketches “Remove your shoes,” Mark Chavez dead…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:58PM
Friday, September 16, 2016

Ivo Graham review – old Etonian comic revels in inadequacy by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe self-effacing former public schoolboy is painfully honest about his hangups in this lovely, well-written comic set• Ten questions for Ivo GrahamIt’s been suggeste…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:52PM

Tim Vine review – high-class Christmas-cracker gags by Brian Logan

Fairfield Halls, CroydonThe current Edinburgh’s funniest joke incumbent proves his mastery of the obscure pun – but doesn’t seem to have much personal stake in his material“I decided…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AM

Rhod Gilbert - review by Brian Logan

Cambridge Corn ExchangeSome shows date quicker than others. "I've had another shit year," says Rhod Gilbert, introducing this touring version of his 2009 Edinburgh festival show. But – eve…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AM

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 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic