Friday, July 25, 2014
Increasingly, big-name comedians are swapping the usual standup format for something that seems more intimate, honest and a bit of a get-out Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AMThursday, July 24, 2014
Shepherd's Bush Empire, LondonDarby's loser act keeps him and us smiling, but some trimming of his silly storytelling would make this show a winner Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:56AMWednesday, July 2, 2014
Monty Python Live (Mostly) massages a G-spot of familiarity with little truly funny live material we're left with a few comfortable laughs and a true sentimental charge Monty Python reviews…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:32PMTuesday, June 24, 2014
How will Luisa Omielan follow up last year's triumph? Who will be this year's Bridget Christie? Here are the acts to watch out forThe comedy website Chortle reported this week on "a har…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:56AMLittle Angel theatre, LondonThe much-loved Disney songs aren't missed in this one-woman performance of Rudyard Kipling's taleMy daughter does a fine line in misheard song lyrics, and one of …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:44AMFriday, June 20, 2014
Hammersmith Apollo, London There's too much talk and too few new tricks amid the fire-breathing, bottle-juggling virtuosity That's not magic: Penn, Teller and Derren Brown reveal all (or do …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:38AMMonday, June 16, 2014
The City of London festival will focus on late-night humour let's hope it brings an end to comedians' silence on the banking crisisIt's so old, no one can say how and when it came into bein…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:10AMFriday, June 13, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonAt its best, the show simply spreads the pleasure Hall and his band take in the songs, and in one another's companyThe songs are often the best part of Rich Hall's standu…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:16AMThursday, June 12, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonRahman's flippancy deficit flouts standup convention and his approach to racial politics is both outspoken and unsentimental How Aamer Rahman's 'reverse racism' joke save…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:34AMTuesday, June 10, 2014
In tune with our sceptical times, magicians debunk the supernatural But are they really as rationalist as they claim?Richard Dawkins may or may not approve, but I was reading my daughter a s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:10AMMonday, June 9, 2014
From his violent slapstick act in the the Dangerous Brothers to his anarchist poet Rick, his acts must have seemed outrageous to a generation reared on Jim Bowen and Tom O'Connor. Today's co…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:59PMWednesday, June 4, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonPart White Stripes, part Dresden Dolls with added facial slap, this double act makes for an enjoyably silly hour of good tunesDie Roten Punkte are sibling duo Astrid and …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:08AMThe Aussie comic on his YouTube hit, why teachers are using his video and how his 'police-related activity' means he won't be touring the US anytime soonLate last year, Aussie comic Aamer Ra…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AMMonday, June 2, 2014
When critics analyse a standup routine it's considered pedantic and joyless what's wrong with being serious about comedy?Theatre critics are seldom called pedants for analysing how a stage …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:46AMFriday, May 23, 2014
Gulbenkian theatre, CanterburyGrist's tale of his rapid rise from English teacher to YouTube phenomenon is a great mix of playful verse and self-examinationMark Grist is the self-styled &quo…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:29AMThe Have I Got News for You star is not "temperamentally suited" to standup but the artform's audience has changedThere are macho myths surrounding standup comedy, and initiation rites uncom…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:20AMFriday, May 16, 2014
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 09:37AMThursday, May 15, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonBrigstocke's confessional standup gives this show its edge: he should lose the standard comedy shtick that surrounds itThis show, says Marcus Brigstocke, is about "s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AMWednesday, May 14, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonTruscott's satirical broadside against rape culture transfers perfectly from the Fringe with firecracker wit Emma Brockes interviews Adrienne Truscott, the naked comicAt …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:02PMSunday, May 11, 2014
Dorking HallsIn Funny Business, Jimmy Carr looks like a rich man making all the usual cruel remarks about Poles, lesbians and rape victimsDoes Jimmy Carr enjoy being Jimmy Carr? As an intell…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:44AMFriday, May 9, 2014
The Dubliner is touring London, and only London, with an act about the capital. Is regionalism the next big thing in comedy?The comedian Andrew Maxwell is doing something unusual next week (…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:58AMWednesday, May 7, 2014
Soho theatre, LondonThe Super Furry Animals frontman brings his concept album, American Interior, to the stage in a ramshackle showIn 1170, as you no doubt know, America was discovered by th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:23AMTuesday, May 6, 2014
From Street Kingdom's jittery krumping to Ukweli Roach's thoughtful dance about addiction, the best performers used visual punch lines and strong stories to reach audiences Breakin' Conventi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:53AMMonday, May 5, 2014
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonIn a two-hour show on the perks and perils of fame, the comic strikes a deft balance between modesty and self-regardWe live in a celebrity-obsessed age, so it…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AMFriday, May 2, 2014
The Daily Show and John Oliver's HBO gig prove that politics coverage benefits from a humorous touch. Now the Newsnight host looks set to explore a career in comedyJeremy Paxman quit Newsnig…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:22AMWednesday, April 30, 2014
Katherine Ryan explores celebrity, sex and single motherhood in a flamboyant, sharp-tongued routine Behind the joke: Katherine Ryan "All I've ever wanted to be is a strong, powerful, beauti…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AMThey wear prosthetic penises as noses and turn Banksy into a suburban dullard. Brian Logan meets Cardinal Burns, the comedy duo bringing cinema values to the TV sketch showLittle and large. …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AMSaturday, April 19, 2014
We've had Kenneth Williams, Kenny Everett, Frankie Howerd and Steptoe and Son now Tommy Cooper is getting the tears-of-a-clown dramatic treatmentDoes it sometimes seem to you that televisio…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:30AMWednesday, April 16, 2014
Royal Albert Hall, LondonThere's no denying Howard's technical mastery, but his show relies on funny voices rather than contentAt one point in this show, Russell Howard in one of his many c…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:07PMMonday, April 14, 2014
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonA company of actors aged 12 to 16 has trouble bringing psychological depth to John Marston's murderous dramaWritten for boy actors' troupe the Children of the …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:20AMSunday, April 13, 2014
Fairfield Halls, CroydonCleaving far too much to conventional 90s laddish standup, Davies is best when he goes further back in time"It's marvellous being a standup comedian," says …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM 
