Thursday, August 15, 2013
One performer suggests that it's not always healthy to go for the gag above all else. Plus: dreams come true on the fringe, and a computer tries its hand at standupBeyond the jokeWhen people…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:11AM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Laughing Horse @ the Counting HouseCharacters, plot and some very good jokes are conjured up in one of the most enjoyable 60 minutes on the fringeYou won't remember the Jane Austen nove…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:39AM[SHARE]Underbelly, CowgateAn improvised, eight-hour mime marathon was an often gripping celebration of the spirit of playThere's no orthodoxy for how to follow winning the Edinburgh comedy award. B…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:50AM[SHARE]The free fringe is beating some other comedians pants down " but can it last? Plus: is Scottish independence a huge joke?Free for all?I was at The Wrestling last night (see below). Joe Lycet…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:38AM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghBrett Goldstein returns with another comic yarn about sex and society, but while there are some good laughs, it doesn't ring quite true enoughTwo years ago, Bre…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:22AM[SHARE]Assembly, George SquarePascoe's lively mind teases out big questions with intelligence, silliness and self-deprecation to make a near-perfect show"So, let's go over the lovely things we've l…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:58AM[SHARE]Liam Williams and Bo Burnham point the way to an anxious comic future. Plus: to sweat, or not to sweat?Anthems for doomed youthIs the age of anxiety upon us? Among comics, there's definitely…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:44AM[SHARE]Monday, August 12, 2013
Pleasance CourtyardFrom neuroscience to paedophile frogs, the creative profusion of this former YouTube star makes for an exhilarating showWow. Bo Burnham is back, with a full-frontal assaul…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:57AM[SHARE]Standup Brendon Burns suggests that putting comedians in pigeonholes doesn't make sense. Plus: old-school laughs on the Free Fringe, and comics have the last laugh on the football fieldNo al…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30AM[SHARE]Sunday, August 11, 2013
Pleasance CourtyardSome of the best shows come when their creators stop caring about pleasing crowds, and make what they damn well please. Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen Volume 2 has that …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:30AM[SHARE]Friday, August 9, 2013
What's the right balance between thought-provoking and laugh-inducing? Plus: Jewish Mom jokes on the fringe and why money is the root of all evilComedy by focus group?"There's two ways you c…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:57PM[SHARE]Pleasance DomeThis ex-teacher needs to find a subject more worthy of his angry intelligence than disingenuous ad campaignsTV Burp meets Brass Eye, with added self-loathing. Interested, commi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:57AM[SHARE]Pleasance CourtyardHelm's incarnation as Evel Knievel makes for an exhilarating start to the show " but it's his songs that redeem his shoutingYou can shuffle on stage to a smattering of app…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:44AM[SHARE]Thursday, August 8, 2013
Pleasance DomePuns, pinging punchlines and geographical foreplay make this comic play a warm-hearted winnerAmong the many characters in their new comic play The Reunion, Max Olesker and Ivan…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:13AM[SHARE]Pleasance CourtyardO'Doherty's overconfidence is amusing and her gags are good, yet her fantasies about fame lack real substanceNominated for last year's Edinburgh Comedy award, Claudia O'Do…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:10AM[SHARE]The assumption that laughter is a dish best served drunk is being challenged. Meanwhile, Mark Thomas baits Ian Rankin and Gráinne Maguire elects to go politicalHalf past four is cooler th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:45AM[SHARE]Assembly RoxyAnyone whose self-consciousness has loomed large will find much to enjoy in this Australian comic's showWe've all had issues with self-esteem, right? But how many of us have alm…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:04AM[SHARE]Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Sara Pascoe is thriving at standup, but she'd rather be an 18th-century essayist. She talks to Brian Logan about politics, philosophy " and gigging with the RSCUsually, when you interview a …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:41PM[SHARE]Stand Comedy ClubFrom shoplifting smut to protesting at an Apple store " the riskier Thomas's exploits, the funnier his comedyIt's hard to believe, but Mark Thomas took a break from politica…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:33PM[SHARE]At the Edinburgh festival, Nat Luurtsema battles bad acoustics and a broken heart, David Quirk ponders cheating and Eric Davis's alter ego sets about demolishing some inhibitionsNo money: th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:17PM[SHARE]Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Just the Tonic at the TronThe comedy of disenfranchised, disillusioned Generation Y is upon us. It's been coming: Alfie Brown's show last year " a fierce attack on comedy and our cultural li…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:34PM[SHARE]The Stand, the Cabaret Bar and Pleasance Courtyard have had legendary shows " but could there be a better place? Plus, all the rest of the day's fringe newsThe best standup stages on the fri…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36PM[SHARE]Stand Comedy Club"I am to Simone de Beauvoir what Horrible Histories are to Simon Schama," says Bridget Christie. It's true, and it's a breakthrough for this always endearing but until now o…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:42AM[SHARE]Monday, August 5, 2013
Phill Jupitus, David Baddiel and Harry Potter star Jessie Cave among those who will perform at this year's festivalFor comedy fans, Fringe 2013 offers the traditional combination of hyped ne…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:21PM[SHARE]Stand Comedy ClubA Stewart Lee set is such a rarefied thing, its every word and beat so achingly precise, you wouldn't blame Lee for wanting to let his hair down. Step forward the "cult 1980…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:16PM[SHARE]Gilded Ballon, EdinburghAisling Bea won last year's So You Think You're Funny?, a prize for new comedians that boasts a list of past winners including Peter Kay and Lee Mack. On the strength…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:15PM[SHARE]The 'saint of division and dissent' is back in town with a new show, Much A-Stew About Nothing, but audiences will have to wait for their latest sighting of the 2004 Perrier award winner Ada…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:17AM[SHARE]Sunday, August 4, 2013
Assembly Rooms, EdinburghIn his native USA, Michael Che writes for Saturday Night Live and features on all the "Comics to watch" lists. It's easy to see why. He is composed, has an eye for a…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:39PM[SHARE]Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Shoreditch Town Hall, LondonIf it's surprising that Piff the Magic Dragon supported Mumford & Sons and played a sell-out season at Sydney Opera House, it's not only because it's a bloke and …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:39PM[SHARE]Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Battersea Arts Centre, LondonIf you want to draw attention to the fact that the earth is burning, worse things can happen than your show being interrupted by a fire alarm. In the event, Reve…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:47PM[SHARE]The US actor sparks a fresh debate about racial jokes " and isn't the only one. Meanwhile, could Ricky Gervais swing a record deal for David Brent? And Spotify launches a comedy appThis week…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:23AM[SHARE] 
