All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Can Edinburgh resurrect Jim Davidson, comedy dinosaur? by Brian Logan

A surprise run at the Assembly Rooms this August is a chance for Davidson to fall in with more progressive comedy trends. But will he take it?It sometimes seems as though anyone can be rehab…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30AM
Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Pam Ann review 'Comedy of casual smut and insult' by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatreHer misanthropic nymphomaniac shtick may be purposefully provocative, but Pam Ann's lewd talk, Asian accents and airline industry stereotypes make for deadening humou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:54PM
Friday, April 4, 2014

Louis CK exposes the existential dread of mobile phones brilliantly by Brian Logan

Few comedians go as deep as Louis CK, who uses a chatshow to expose the sad hollowness of technology and existenceThe best comedy doesn't just make you laugh in the moment, it depth-charges…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:00AM
Monday, March 24, 2014

Norman Lovett review – Droopy Dogg standup is fatally underpowered by Brian Logan

Ex-Red Dwarfer Lovett's personality is attractive, but this show needs an editorIn a basement under Leicester Square, 67-year-old Norman Lovett is putting a dog-poo bag on his head. And why …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:31PM
Friday, March 21, 2014

Do Miranda's knowing nods to camera burst the live audience's bubble? by Brian Logan

Miranda Hart uses some of her conspiratorial TV sitcom moves in her arena show, but the best comics can make big venues seem intimate without resorting to screen tricksMiranda Hart likes thr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:54AM
Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Lynn Ruth Miller: Granny's Gone Wild review – sparky octogenarian standup by Brian Logan

Soho Theatre, LondonIt's debatable whether this challenges or reinforces stereotypes about age, but the carpe diem message is undeniably appealingWe're used to standups complaining about fee…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:43AM
Friday, March 14, 2014

Jonny and the Baptists v Ukip: aren't there better targets to lampoon? by Brian Logan

After their YouTube video went viral, the comedy duo are expanding their Stop Ukip tour. But do they have anything new to say about Nigel Farage's party?• Stewart Lee: a vision of life und…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:16PM

Tim Key: Single White Slut review - 'Leagues ahead of most standup' by Brian Logan

Arcola Tent, LondonKey combines theatrics and whimsy to hilarious effect – but at times style triumphs over substanceAfter a sell-out Soho theatre run, Tim Key has taken up residence in a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:07AM
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Miranda Hart review – 'Jolly and child-hearted, but not ambitious' by Brian Logan

Hart's My What I Call Stand Up tour is cause for celebration, but some of her material is so old it needs carbon-dating"This isn't just a show," Miranda Hart tells her 16,000-strong crowd. "…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:57PM
Monday, March 10, 2014

Mitch Benn review – 'Fun for the sheer militancy of his Beatles devotion' by Brian Logan

North Wall, OxfordEven if you don't like the Beatles, Mitch Benn's jaunty lecture on the Fab Four makes for an engaging eveningMany people have been credited as "the fifth Beatle" over the y…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:44AM
Thursday, March 6, 2014

Jack Whitehall: standing up for Cameron's Britain by Brian Logan

In Whitehall's routines, poshness is a depoliticised quirk, like being tall. You can only laugh at his jokes if you think disadvantage isn't worth getting upset about• Jack Whitehall inter…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:56AM
Friday, February 28, 2014

Debut standup comedy tour puts TV star Miranda Hart on the spot by Brian Logan

Nation's pratfaller-in-chief gambles on shift from eponymous sitcom and Call the Midwife to live show in UK's largest arenasIt was announced over a year ago; she has being giving interviews …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM
Friday, February 21, 2014

Chris Ramsey – review by Brian Logan

Stables, Milton KeynesRamsey's boisterous storytelling establishes a strong rapport with his audience – but his material too often lacks insightComedians are the canaries in the mine of mo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:38AM
Thursday, February 20, 2014

Chris Morris: the comeback starts here by Brian Logan

After a rare stage appearance at Stewart Lee's recent standup gig, the Brass Eye comedian is returning to TV. Now, more than ever, we need a satirist with his fearlessnessBrendon Burns wrote…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AM
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Miles Jupp – review by Brian Logan

Ambassadors, London His suitcase gags are cute, but this show goes from strength to strength as Jupp finds subjects worthy of his moral outrageIt's a keen pleasure to see a comedian bust out…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:17AM
Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Danny Cohen's panel-show gender pledge won't halt the comedy rot by Brian Logan

The gender imbalance is a problem – but the smugness, scripted improv and stale formats are beyond satireEnchanting comments below the line on my review of Sarah Millican the other day. "…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:53AM
Sunday, February 9, 2014

Sarah Millican – review by Brian Logan

Corn Exchange, CambridgeBritain's favourite funny woman is a deft comic, but her frankness about vibrators, pubic grooming and anal bleaching trades on shock that quickly wears offSarah Mill…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:26AM
Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Rubberbandits – review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonMoving from underground phenomenon to recognisable comedy stars hasn't dulled the masked duo's dissent in songs on abortion, misbehaviour and dust-ups in churchThe tissue…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:57AM
Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Leicester comedy festival: from student project to tourist attraction by Brian Logan

The east Midlands' foremost festival of funniness is 21 this year, and with a mouthwatering array of big names and one-off events it seems to have come of ageWhat would you guess to be the l…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:38AM
Monday, February 3, 2014

Stephen K Amos: the new Brucie? by Brian Logan

Is Stephen K Amos what primetime TV is waiting for? He certainly thinks so. Brian Logan meets the standup and sitcom writer as he goes on tourSaturday-night telly: it's not a golden age, is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:14PM

Musicals we love: Sunshine on Leith by Brian Logan

In the latest in our series on our favourite shows, Brian Logan applauds a jukebox musical that situates the songs of the Proclaimers in real 21st-century BritainLook, I know jukebox musical…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:19AM

Play time: Gorilla - review by Brian Logan

Polka theatre, LondonHarried dads and daughters warm to the charming, onstage monkey businessHow can the theatre rival this? My three-year-old, Cora, and her friend Alice are in the back of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:04AM
Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Kurt Braunohler – review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThese lively tales of mortifying inadequacy are skilfully delivered by the dorky US comicThis is the first time that London has encountered the US comic Kurt Braunohler's…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:07AM
Monday, January 27, 2014

New Act of the Year Show – review by Brian Logan

Bloomsbury theatre, LondonThe 15 finalists in this prestigious comedy competition display infinite variety if not much spleen or insurrectionist spiritTo watch tonight's show, says compere A…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Friday, January 24, 2014

Improvathon: the 50-hour comedy marathon that's in it for the long haul by Brian Logan

'After 30 hours without sleep, the performers become too tired to censor themselves' … Plus, Robert Newman's evolution, New Act of the Year and more news on live comedyAny plans for the we…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:53AM
Thursday, January 23, 2014

Tommy Tiernan – review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonTiernan's sermon paints a reactionary picture of Ireland, but his comic timing and affection for the country wields a hypnotic force"If I was a play, I'd be set in Irelan…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:11AM
Friday, January 17, 2014

Frank Skinner doesn't stand up for Benefits Street by Brian Logan

The Brummie comic fails to see the funny side of the Channel 4 TV series. Plus, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David go for theatrical gold and a planned Richard Pryor biopic moves a step closerOn…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Thursday, January 16, 2014

John Kearns – review by Brian Logan

Soho theatreKearns's comic armoury of distracted pauses, eccentric antics and daydreamer philosophy starts brilliantly before tailing off"Imagine I couldn't do this," ruminates John Kearns a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:41AM
Wednesday, January 8, 2014

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 02:00AM
Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Trevor Noah – review by Brian Logan

Colchester Arts Centre With his laid-back, charming delivery, Noah's unique take on apartheid makes for 24-carat comedyA few comedians have recently been cracking self-conscious jokes inspir…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00PM

Bob Mortimer: are Oxbridge alumni really the UK's funniest? by Brian Logan

Brian Logan: Vic Reeves's sparring partner asks why certain comics still hog the TV schedules. Plus Jim Davidson, Jerry Lewis and moreBrian Logan

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:46AM