Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Blackfriars, GlasgowOne of a clutch of young US comics appearing at Glasgow's comedy festival, Lee Camp is from the Al Franken tradition: an impeccably liberal standup and contributor to the…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM[SHARE]Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Broadway, BarkingGreg Davies has little to fear from the slings and arrows of showbiz, having worked as a schoolteacher for 12 years. When you've had "Mr Davies is a bell-end" scrawled o…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:31PM[SHARE]Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Cresset, PeterboroughEd Byrne is an anagram of Be Nerdy, the Irish standup tells us, and he's most effective when following that directive to the letter. A veteran observational sta…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:49PM[SHARE]Friday, March 18, 2011
When six BBC radio presenters tried their hand at standup for the first time, were the results funny or farcical?Watching amateur standup is revealing. A month ago, I went to the Comedy Stor…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:28AM[SHARE]Thursday, March 17, 2011
Soho Theatre, London"Anyone else here prepared to admit that they're " not the best?", Zoe Lyons inquires. At almost 40 and with little to show for it " at least according to her introductor…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:48AM[SHARE]Friday, March 11, 2011
Standup (usually) makes us laugh " but is it right for a charity to provide comedy lessons to people with mental health problems?Does comedy make you sad, or happy? Two recent stories from t…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:39PM[SHARE]Thursday, March 10, 2011
Nathaniel Mellors's latest exhibition makes mainstream sitcom look highly conventionalEleven years ago, the double act Noble and Silver won the Perrier best newcomer award. I was a big fan o…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:22PM[SHARE]Wednesday, March 9, 2011
'Should I give away punchlines in my reviews?'I reviewed the comedian Paul Sinha a fortnight ago, and sparked a conversation on the Guardian website (and on Sinha's blog) about the…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:45PM[SHARE]Monday, March 7, 2011
Orchard, DartfordSo Jim Davidson writes a play about a bigoted comedian and concludes that " well, I never! " within his breast beats a heart of gold. Stand Up and Be Counted isn't so much a…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:00PM[SHARE]Friday, March 4, 2011
Soho theatre, LondonGermany's self-styled "comedy ambassador" to Britain has a high-status routine that trades on his country's supposed superiority. It's an amusing shtick, which Wehn pulle…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:06PM[SHARE]Friday, February 25, 2011
Soho theatre, LondonPaul Sinha's show takes its name, Extreme Anti-White Vitriol, from an accusation levelled at the British Asian comic by the deputy chairman of the BNP. At times, one wish…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:30AM[SHARE]Thursday, February 24, 2011
Heritage entertainment develops historical accuracy at Hampton Court this week, as learning-disabled actors play Tudor jestersThere are several things one might expect of a visit to Hampton …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18AM[SHARE]Monday, February 21, 2011
Hexagon, ReadingBack in standup after moonlighting as Othello in the West End, Lenny Henry confronts a green-eyed monster of his own in his new show. The jealousy is directed at Luther Vandr…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:45PM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Lyric theatre, LondonForty years after BBC radio's Round the Horne, comedians with that surname still can't resist telling the joke they were born with. That's not the only thing unchanged a…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:22AM[SHARE]Monday, February 14, 2011
Soho theatre, LondonWhat kind of comedian uses Leonard Cohen for his intro music? Not one bent on spreading complacent good cheer, but that's never been Simon Munnery's stock-in-trade. This …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30PM[SHARE]Sunday, January 30, 2011
South Street, ReadingDid you know that the Israel-Palestine separation wall is twice as long as the actual border? And that its route purposefully slices off 9% of the West Bank's territory?…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:31PM[SHARE]Friday, January 28, 2011
Bloomsbury theatre, LondonWith a starring role in the award-winning church sitcom Rev, Miles Jupp knows all about devotion. But it's cricket, not God, to which Jupp genuflects…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:33PM[SHARE]Thursday, January 27, 2011
Leicester Square theatre, London"Guardian readers might crap into their lentils," brays the publicity for this would-be diabolical cabaret, staged weekly in the theatre's basement …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:45PM[SHARE]Monday, January 24, 2011
Hoxton Hall, LondonThere's no shame in falling asleep at the theatre; we've all done it. But under a quilt? Different rules apply at the Improvathon, an extemporised entertainment endurance …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:18PM[SHARE]Wednesday, January 19, 2011
'Would you heckle an armed robber?'Have you heard that financial fraudster Bernie Madoff is playing bassoon for the London Philharmonic Orchestra? Or that Kanye West has pulled on a pai…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:15PM[SHARE]Readers have been inspired by an interview with comedians Tim Vine and Milton Jones to send in their own (and others) quick-fire witWhen I interviewed comic Tim Vine for an article this week…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:00PM[SHARE]Monday, January 17, 2011
Tim Vine is famed for his one-liners. Can he teach Brian Logan the art of the fast gag?Did you know that if you shine an Anglepoise lamp at a rabbit's paws, it can make the silhouette of a c…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:44PM[SHARE]Comedians Tim Vine and Milton Jones are famed for their one-liners. Can they teach Brian Logan the art of the fast gag? Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:44PM[SHARE]Thursday, January 13, 2011
Watford Palace theatreIf, as their publicity claims, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are "kings of satire", then satire is in need of a palace coup. In their first stage outing for three years, t…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:16PM[SHARE]Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Soho theatre, LondonThere's a surprise joke in the middle of Jonny Sweet's show, which turns on the idea that he hasn't enough material to sustain an hour-long set. Sweet gets away with it: …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:30PM[SHARE]Monday, January 10, 2011
Hammersmith Apollo, LondonMark Watson's new show is one long fret about the insufficient impact he thinks he's making on the world. I'm sure you'll join me in extending your sympathies …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30PM[SHARE]Sunday, January 9, 2011
Soho theatre, LondonTwenty-six gigs in 26 days: Will Adamsdale is off on a marathon tour of 26 venues, all within a few miles of each other. A pointless endeavour? Well, that's just the poin…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:30PM[SHARE]Friday, January 7, 2011
Cambridge Corn ExchangeSome shows date quicker than others. "I've had another shit year," says Rhod Gilbert, introducing this touring version of his 2009 Edinburgh festival show. But " even …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:00PM[SHARE]Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Looking for a new you for the new year? Well, help is at hand. Brian Logan meets a 'motivational life coach' with a differenceThe Edinburgh comedy award is held to confer instant greatness o…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:01PM[SHARE]Monday, January 3, 2011
From relative newcomers such as Andi Osho to old-timers such as John CleeseJerry SadowitzIn what's becoming a January tradition, Britain's most malicious comic brings his ranting-and-magic c…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM[SHARE]The comedian's latest show, Cradle to Rave, is autobiographical - and a bold departure from previous workThere won't be many standups on tour in 2011 whose most recent accolade, at the…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:59AM[SHARE] 
