Monday, September 28, 2015
In a recent glossary of theatre terminology, our own Michael Billington translated the term 'devised play' as 'a total mess'. Let's clear it up: that's nonsense.Prism of success... Devised t…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:28AM[SHARE]Sunday, September 27, 2015
Leicester Square Theatre, London"It doesn't interest me," said Jerry Sadowitz in a recent interview, when asked about his now notorious 1980s routine that branded Jimmy Savile a pa…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:20PM[SHARE]Leicester Square theatre, LondonTonight sees bilious US comic Doug Stanhope at his best and worst. When his scorn and loathing is intelligently applied, he tears away the veil of socialised …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:28PM[SHARE]Tricycle, LondonThere are laughs to be had in Mirza's passionate, taboo-busting comedy but she's let down by duff puns and an aversion to logical argumentShazia Mirza dislikes performing to …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:38AM[SHARE]Friday, September 25, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonIn a richly strange set, this year's Edinburgh award-winner snorts cereal, obsesses over the audience's legwear and acts out everyday annoyancesIt's a rare feat to win bo…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:56PM[SHARE]A new documentary suggests comedians are tortured geniuses, a breed apart. But it's time to forget the tears-of-a-clown cliche " they're just regular people working hard at their craftWith h…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:15AM[SHARE]Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Invisible Dot, LondonThe Canadian comedian questions our rigid stereotypes of gender and sexuality, with the aid of some goofy anecdotes A review of Mae Martin's first comedy gig, aged 1…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:33AM[SHARE]Friday, September 18, 2015
A man being persuaded to compromise on his lofty ideals could make for great comedy " but given the best satire kicks against the strong, it could be hard to wring gags from the underdog Cor…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM[SHARE]Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Hammersmith Apollo, London The Glaswegian comic's new show may be more personal than political but he still makes for a sharp social commentatorKevin Bridges' new show restores observational…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:56AM[SHARE]Monday, September 14, 2015
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghRussell Hoban's tale of an adventure to a lollipop mountain is adapted with some lively flashes but this show loses the original's oblique charms I'm all for ch…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:56AM[SHARE]Sunday, September 13, 2015
Novello, LondonWhen Stephen Daldry's An Inspector Calls appeared at the National Theatre, it was lauded for its three-way timeframe. This expressionist refit was set in 1912 (when its action…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:24PM[SHARE]Saturday, September 12, 2015
I've just left the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Camden People's Theatre associate artist Sh!t Theatre scored a hit with its comic tour
SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:00AM[SHARE]Friday, September 11, 2015
Veteran comic Bobby Ball has a new job teaching vicars how to be funny " but humour and religion don't always coexist comfortablyIf you want a crash course in how to be funny in front of a r…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM[SHARE]Tuesday, September 8, 2015
UnderbellyAlfie Brown is opening himself up to ridicule " more even than the comedian's usual share. The 25-year-old has set himself up as a passionate critic of our cultural life, and of th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:15AM[SHARE]'At the end of the show I'd just hide' … the actress-comedian's Edinburgh fringe hit lays bare her relationship anxieties with furious inventiveness and painful honestyThere's a fine tradi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32AM[SHARE]Get ready for comedy on a grand scale: Kevin Bridges is doing a mammoth Glasgow run, two huge double acts (Harry and Paul, Vic and Bob) return, and Sara Pascoe is reinventing ChristmasNinety…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32AM[SHARE]Thursday, September 3, 2015
Soho theatre, LondonThe Australian comedian offers technically adept set-pieces and sends up his relentless misanthropy, but it takes a long time to go from snark to laughsComedy doesn't hav…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:38AM[SHARE]Monday, August 31, 2015
Pleasance Dome, EdinburghThe duo's latest multi-character show looks at what the (many) residents of Sudley-on-Sea do with their last moments on earth, in a richly enjoyable hour They've don…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:41AM[SHARE]Saturday, August 29, 2015
Australian standup takes prize for best comedy show at the fringe, while Sofie Hagen is named best newcomer and Karen Koren gets panel prizeEdinburgh comedy awards: explore all the past winn…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:00AM[SHARE]Friday, August 28, 2015
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe angular New Zealander has the audience in raptures with his wonky physical comedy " and a brilliantly inventive finaleThere's nothing new under the sun, the…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:48AM[SHARE]Stand Comedy Club, EdinburghEdgy material about liberal concerns " Bill Cosby, Ebola " lacks the confidence required for such a bloodless deliveryIf fans of The Daily Show are seeing anyone …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:48AM[SHARE]Political comedy used be an orthodox, tub-thumping affair. Today, it's a far subtler art, with Nish Kumar, Sheeps, Stewart Lee and Ahir Shah all reinventing the form You can tell plenty abou…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:48AM[SHARE]Heroes @ The Hive, EdinburghThere are goofy set pieces aplenty in this exuberantly silly show in which Jones's alter ego, The Herbert, gets a 'proper job'From Mr Bean to Mr Tumble, there'll …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:22AM[SHARE]Thursday, August 27, 2015
Assembly George Square studios, EdinburghThe comedian's heartfelt story about the shark-infested waters of her teenage life sits uneasily with the truth, but this makes for a gripping experi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:30AM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 26, 2015
The comedian's standout show Lance would be a worthy winner, if he can triumph over four-time nominee James Acaster and the inventive Joseph MorpurgoThe 35th Edinburgh comedy award nominees …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:30PM[SHARE]Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghLike a more manic Woody Allen, the funny standup lives out her anxieties onstage as she presents her unplanned family lifeChannel 4's hit sitcom Catastrophe feat…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AM[SHARE]Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghJohn Henry Falle romances mermaids and roars through Beowulf in an enjoyable yet inconsistent performanceNominated this week for the Malcolm Hardee award for co…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:04AM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 25, 2015
She started at eight years old and is now the youngest comedian to appear on the funniest jokes of the fringe list. But she's taking fame and stardom in her strideGrace the Child is not taki…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:34PM[SHARE]Some of YouTube's comedy stars have had millions of hits, but performing on stage is a very different skill " and not all of them are up to the challengeIn any given year in Edinburgh, a new…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM[SHARE]Stand Comedy Club, EdinburghScorn is scattered liberally in an engaging show that also lets slip a welcome peek at the charismatic entertainer underneath"I am a horrible person," says Fern B…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:57PM[SHARE]Voodoo Rooms This show's bracing lack of sentiment finds a new and compelling angle on the 'dead dad' comedy tropeThe "dead dad" comedy show is now much mocked: it's seen as a cliche, and a …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:16AM[SHARE] 
