All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Angelos Epithemiou – review by Brian Logan

Bloomsbury theatre, LondonWhy do I find it funny when one man teaches an imaginary rabbit to talk, but not when another man dresses in a silver leotard and impersonates a cat? I can't stop l…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:28AM

Angelos Epithemiou – review by Brian Logan

Bloomsbury theatre, LondonWhy do I find it funny when one man teaches an imaginary rabbit to talk, but not when another man dresses in a silver leotard and impersonates a cat? I can't stop l…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:28AM
Thursday, December 9, 2010

Does Steve Martin have to be funny 24/7? | Brian Logan by Brian Logan

The comedian has been criticised for daring to talk about art rather than do gags. Why aren't comics allowed to do serious?I saw an episode of House for the first time recently. I didn't re…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:22AM
Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Harry Shearer and Judith Owen's Holiday Singalong – review by Brian Logan

Purcell Room, LondonSome experiences are critic-proof, and they include being coerced into impersonating a birthing goose by the wife of spoof metal legend Derek Smalls. Fans of Spinal Tap o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:19PM
Friday, December 3, 2010

John Shuttleworth – review by Brian Logan

Ambassadors Theatre, LondonJohn Shuttleworth starts his new show dressed as - who, exactly? "Oliver Cromwell," says Sheffield's versatile vocalist and organist, "but it's not quite right, is…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:00PM
Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Frankie Boyle's return to TV: what did you make of Tramadol Nights? by Brian Logan

The controversial comic is now free of the BBC straitjacket – but has Channel 4 just given him enough rope to hang himself?John Crace on the Battle for Barking and The Morgana Show"Limitat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:14AM
Monday, November 29, 2010

Rich Hall - review by Brian Logan

Richmond Theatre, LondonHis recent BBC documentary The Dirty South announced a mission to redeem the reputation of America's bottom half – which may be why Rich Hall has left redneck alter…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:46PM
Thursday, November 25, 2010

Jason Manford – review by Brian Logan

Hammersmith Apollo, LondonLast week, Jason Manford quit as presenter of BBC1's The One Show after revelations of text and Twitter flirting with fans; he has now publicly rededicated him…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:31PM
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Jason Manford on stage - review by Brian Logan

Hammersmith Apollo, LondonIt has been a difficult week for Jason Manford, who last week quit as presenter of BBC1's The One Show after revelations of text and Twitter flirting with female fa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:57PM
Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Brian Logan on comedy and the news by Brian Logan

'Sometimes gigs are news stories too'Sometimes reviews aren't just reviews, they are news. We newspaper critics tend to present our work in topical terms – and one way of doing that i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:46PM
Monday, November 22, 2010

Move over McIntyre: Kafka comics lead a standup revolution by Brian Logan

Two young comedians are spearheading a more theatrical style of comedy with their stage version of The TrialWhen you think Franz Kafka, what comes to mind? Mitteleuropean gloom, perhaps. "B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:38AM

The best comedy for Christmas 2010 by Brian Logan

Standups, singalongs and slapstick – the funniest shows of the festive seasonCarl-Einar HacknerA Swedish Tommy Cooper, say the critics, with a dash of Abba thrown in, Carl-Einar Hackner is…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Wednesday, November 17, 2010

John Bishop: Where did it all go right? by Brian Logan

Brian Logan on the giddy rise of John Bishop, ex-pharmaceuticals salesman turned superstar standup comedianThree years ago, in his show on the Edinburgh fringe, John Bishop described walking…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:31PM
Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Edinburgh fringe stretches to Washington by Brian Logan

Performing amid the splendour of the Kennedy Centre raises questions about how experimental theatre is received at home as well as abroad"Can you fringe from the Centre?" That's the question…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:43AM
Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Funny, haha: the comedy of mental health issues by Brian Logan

Brian Logan reports on a comedy show taking on mental health taboos Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:15PM
Monday, October 12, 2009

Jimmy Carr | Comedy review by Brian Logan

Cliff's Pavilion, Southend"People ask me: what's your pet hate?" says Jimmy Carr. "Well, he doesn't like it if you put things in his bum." It's the classic Carr quip: concise, linguistically…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30PM
Sunday, July 26, 2009

The new offenders of standup comedy by Brian Logan

Political correctness used to rule comedy, but now comics routinely offend their audiences. How did things get so nasty? Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:05PM
Monday, February 23, 2009

Count Arthur Strong by Brian Logan

Riverside Studios, London Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:01PM
Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Edinburgh festival comedy review: Rhod Gilbert by Brian Logan

Pleasance Cabaret Bar, EdinburghKnutsford service station. Doesn't conjure up images of a rollercoaster theatre show, does it? But that is what it has inspired, courtesy of the Welsh standup…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:05PM
Monday, July 31, 2006

Brian Logan meets Doug Stanhope by Brian Logan

Doug Stanhope was too shocking for the Kilkenny festival. How long will his stand-up act last at Edinburgh? By Brian LoganThere are a lot of comedians who consider themselves fearless or pla…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:14AM
Monday, August 13, 2001

Trev and Simon by Brian Logan

Pleasance TwoRating ** Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:00PM