Monday, August 10, 2015
Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghThe comedian is impressive as her sexist alter ego Dave, but the brand of chauvinist comedy depicted makes for a fairly soft target“I mostly hang out with come…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:44PMPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe standup’s festival return sees him get serious about the state of racial politics, while retaining his keen sense of sillyEnjoyable though it was, there w…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:34AMSunday, August 9, 2015
Pleasance DomeThough sadly not living up to the promise of their 2014 fringe debut, this comedy trio are still an impressive and endearing actThe month of previews, the week to break in your…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:31AMPleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe comedy threesome play off their incongruous personae to create an odd, slippery and exhilarating show of extreme slapstick and fresh, uneasy jokes Recently …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:33AMSaturday, August 8, 2015
Gilded Balloon, EdinburghTruscott has some funny, transgressive material but technical glitches and a lack of polish undermines the flow of this performanceNot many acts enter fringe legend …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:47AMLaughing Horse @ The Free SistersWilliams tiptoes around outright bleakness as he adds relationship angst to his ideological distress in another exciting Edinburgh showLast year’s show was…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:52AMThursday, July 30, 2015
There are spirited and charismatic performances in the Muju Crew’s cross-cultural sketch show – as well as the occasional lapse into bad tasteRamadan as a fitness programme (“I lost 30…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:07AMSaturday, July 18, 2015
Huge crowds for sets by Tim Key, Dylan Moran and others show how popular comedy is at music festivals; no wonder standup was spilling out all over the site this yearAs a symbol of how comedy…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:21PMFriday, July 17, 2015
Comedy is growing out of pubs and arenas, and making inroads into respected arts festivals – but could it lose its edge as a result?Interesting times for comedy fans: we’re watching an a…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:52AMWednesday, July 15, 2015
Just the Tonic at the CavesThe term character comedy doesn't quite cover what San Francisco standup Will Franken does in an underground cave, late at night on the Fringe. Yes, he flits in an…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:55PMSaturday, July 11, 2015
Soho Theatre, London"Kamikaze cabaret", "post-postmodern performance", "opera brut". Read Meow Meow's publicity, and you expect something new and indefinable. W…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:25PMFriday, July 10, 2015
Pavilion theatre, ManchesterManic trio Sheeps redeem a Manchester festival comedy night whose amusement value even the performers seem uncertain about“Are you having a good night?” compe…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:26AMLast year, Holly Walsh posed with an upside-down cigarette, this year Nish Kumar is going retro … what makes for a good comedy poster? And does a comic’s offering actually draw audiences…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:16AMThursday, July 9, 2015
Hammersmith Apollo, LondonChappelle kicks off with gleeful, scorching indelicacy, but his cock-of-the-walk comedy doesn’t always match his considerable charisma You’d think it was a rock…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:20AMWednesday, July 8, 2015
Rumour is rife that Monty Python's surviving members are to reform – but can they ever be as good as their heyday? Here are some favourite clips (and not a parrot among them) Continue …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:34AMMonday, July 6, 2015
The outspoken standup talks about teenage bad behaviour, panel shows and the ‘stubborn’ iPhone pest who inspired her Manchester international festival showThe seeds of Sara Pascoe’s Ma…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AMFriday, July 3, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonThe character comic is charismatic and subtle, but his attempts to get the audience to deliver the laughs sometimes fall flatWant to be a duck? Want your face lathered in…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:48AMFriday, June 26, 2015
Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonComedy’s king of Twitter is flamboyantly smutty – not only for the fun of it, but as a way to test the boundaries of good tasteAs declarations of intent go, i…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:41AMQueen Elizabeth Hall, LondonThe US standup and Catastrophe star is unsentimental and dissolute – not only for the fun of it, but as a way to test the boundaries of good tasteAs declaration…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AMI’m expecting great or unusual things on the fringe from this selection of standups and sketch trios – who’s on your list?Anticipating the Edinburgh fringe is almost as much fun as bei…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:14AMTuesday, June 23, 2015
Adelphi, LondonClive Anderson, Josie Lawrence and Greg Proops bring their Channel 4 hit to the West End – and the laughs are even bigger and better this time roundIt is striking to see imp…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:34AMMonday, June 22, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonIf you’re up for a Cinzano-fuelled dance and a giggle then this bathetic nostalgia trip with the Duchess of Canvey probably won’t disappoint“Goodnight, my babes, yo…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:04AMTuesday, June 16, 2015
A new generation of Chinese comedians are cracking gags about buying property in Beijing. Is it further proof that standup – which is about individual assertion rather than collective ende…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:40AMThursday, June 11, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonThe wild-eyed philosopher of love and life ruminates dangerously on everything from erectile dysfunction to the failings of capitalismNot many comedians generate a sense …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:55AMSunday, June 7, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonThe trio’s tart, funny Middle of the Road show is a heavily sardonic paean to the joys of dressing down, brainlessness and the oeuvre of James BluntQueer culture is bei…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:50AMSaturday, June 6, 2015
Duchess, LondonThe stages of Britain may be heaving this month with glitz, glitter and TV celebs, but you won't find a more reliably fun-for-all-the-family experience than the West End debut…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:10PMFriday, June 5, 2015
In this week's roundup: illustrious actors to star in a new sitcom called Vicious Old Queens, and Fey makes her displeasure known at 'grey-faced men' sounding off about rapeHow's about this …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:15PMWednesday, June 3, 2015
British standups have plenty of stereotypes about Germans, but is the opposite true? Yes – according to a viral clip about a Brexit from the EU on Germany’s version of The Daily ShowWatc…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:28AMWednesday, May 27, 2015
The Mock the Week star launches a joke-rich rallying call for a better Britain Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AMJohn Kearns and Nick Helm are bringing their oddball humour to TV and radio, showing just how far those mediums have come in showcasing bold new talent It never stops being fascinating watch…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AMMonday, May 25, 2015
