All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Sara Schaefer review – US comic considers our fetish for the moral high-ground by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London The standup critiques virtue-signalling modern culture in a thoughtful set argued with a light touch‘Do you guys remember truth?” Sara Schaefer is over from America …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:40AM
Monday, March 12, 2018

Ken Dodd: farewell to the tattifilarious marathon man of comedy by Brian Logan

Dodd, who has died aged 90, was a force of nature – a cheeky master of the one-liner who spread happiness in shows that lasted until the small hoursKen Dodd, who has died aged 90, was quit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:22AM
Sunday, March 4, 2018

Kings of loser comedy: how Flight of the Conchords took off by Brian Logan

New Zealand’s ‘fourth most popular folk-parody act’ are on a sold-out arena tour. Is there a shrewdness behind the duo’s laidback shtick?Few comedians ever play London’s O2 Arena a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:06PM
Thursday, March 1, 2018

Flight of the Conchords review – an intense hit of comic bliss by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonBret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement return with hilarious dialogue and new songs that easily scale the dizzy heights of their best workWe knew months ago that Flight of the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:27AM
Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Griff Rhys Jones: Where Was I? review – humiliations of a hapless traveller by Brian Logan

The Old Market, BrightonThere’s no shortage of self-depreciating chatter as the comic looks back on a life of globetrotting in his touring show‘I’m going to talk about my holidays, the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36AM
Friday, February 23, 2018

Sandra Bernhard review – swagger, songs and starry stories by Brian Logan

Ronnie Scott’s, LondonThe standup and singer has stellar personality, and a few neat lines, but not all of her material lands with a London audience“If I looked at a crib sheet that much…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:46AM
Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Bill Bailey review – standup scales the ​peaks of sublime silliness by Brian Logan

Cliffs Pavilion, SouthendBailey’s honest enthusiasm for the marginal, the overlooked and the seldom juxtaposed is delightfulMore than three decades into his career, Bill Bailey’s shows m…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00AM

Denis Leary's No Cure for Cancer: still electrifying and obnoxious 25 years on by Brian Logan

Cited as one of the all-time great standup sets, Leary’s show both hasn’t aged well and has never been more topical‘I’m an asshole,” sings Denis Leary in a signature number at the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:56AM
Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Lauren Pattison: Lady Muck review – an empowering hour of spirited standup by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonShortlisted for best newcomer at the Edinburgh festival, Pattison delivers a drolly direct account of an annus horribilisYou may not associate live comedy with tales of l…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:41AM
Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Darren Harriott review – perky gags about Corbyn, the Queen and Rastafarianism by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Edinburgh award-nominated standup develops a cheery rapport with the audience in this promising first showIf you want tragicomedy that cuts deep – or, for that matt…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Sarah Millican: Control Enthusiast review – a non-stop smut fest by Brian Logan

Marlowe theatre, CanterburyThe comic’s latest show is bursting with gags about bodily functions but reveals precious little about Millican herselfSarah Millican doesn’t appear much in th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:15AM
Monday, January 15, 2018

Denim: World Tour review – cheeky, transgressive drag act think global by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London Pop legends in their own minds, this swaggering five-piece retool Whitney and Beyoncé songs into sharp-clawed attacks on Trump and IslamThe conceit of drag girlband Den…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00AM
Friday, January 12, 2018

Chris Rock review – comedy superstar doubles down on sex, race and religion by Brian Logan

Manchester ArenaWhat was billed as a more confessional, reflective show actually finds Rock on familiar ground, as he surveys contemporary America and finds it wanting In the US and elsewher…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:28AM
Thursday, January 11, 2018

Different Party review – artful take on the absurdity of office life by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe drudgery of bureaucracy is sent up with great expressivity, loose-limbed flair and a heightened sense of the ridiculousAbsurdist takes on the office environment are a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:04AM
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Robert Newman: Total Eclipse of Descartes review – philosophical funnies by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonAn infinite number of monkeys, Pavlov’s dogs and Cartesian thought are gleefully debunked in a jaunty and refreshingly intelligent showAt the start of his comedy career…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:42AM
Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Sophie Willan: who are you calling a northern working-class comic? by Brian Logan

Her childhood in care, her mother’s heroin addiction, her days as a sex worker … Bolton comedian Sophie Willan is turning the details of her life into dazzling standupIt’s great to hav…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:21PM

Omid Djalili – cheesy gags and silly dancing from a lovable schmuck by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe convivial comic serves up a hotchpotch of creaking jokes, funny accents and satire – but not all his fans can stomach it‘I’ve been heckled, I’ve b…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:14AM
Monday, January 8, 2018

Angus Gordon and Aaron Chen review – kings of cringe fascinate and frustrate by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe award-winning Aussie duo flout standup’s conventions to mine laughs from misery and nihilism. It’s certainly bold – but can you get too much of a bad thing?The …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:26AM
Thursday, January 4, 2018

Dave Chappelle's 'reckless' #MeToo and trans jokes have real after-effects by Brian Logan

In his Netflix shows the comic defends his right to provoke, but protests against his gags about misconduct allegations and transgender people are justifiedDave Chappelle’s first Netflix s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:15PM
Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Jon Richardson review – a wildly funny whinge of volcanic frustrations by Brian Logan

G Live, GuildfordIn his touring show The Old Man, Richardson’s peevish, mouse-that-roared routines range from loading the dishwasher to massaging his pregnant wife‘Let’s get ready to g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00AM
Monday, January 1, 2018

Flight of the Conchords, Chris Rock and 2018's most uproarious comedy by Brian Logan

One of the world’s biggest standups does his first tour in a decade, Bridget Christie looks beyond Brexit and Maria Bamford makes a rare UK appearance“Often more philosophical than scien…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00PM

Late Night Gimp Fight review – death, deviance and smutty sketches by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London The troupe return with gags about Tindr, Trump and kidnapping. But can you still sell puerile shock-comedy when you’re middle-aged?The best thing about this Late Night…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:23AM
Friday, December 29, 2017

John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman, Pleasance, Edinburgh by Brian Logan

Pleasance, EdinburghI like comedy with ambition, and saving the world is as ambitious as it gets. Such is the goal that John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman have teamed up to achieve. If the news p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04AM
Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Jeff Garlin – review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London Gluttony is hilarious, right? If you agree, Jeff Garlin's standup is for you. If not, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star – he plays Larry David's "fat fuck" manager Jeff Gr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04AM

Jeff Garlin review – Curb Your Enthusiasm comic goes off-script by Brian Logan

Larry David’s accomplice makes up for the fitfulness of a half-assembled show with infectious off-the-cuff comedy about bras, body lotions and creepy old men‘I’m aware it’s not been …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:48AM
Sunday, December 17, 2017

The top 10 comedy shows of 2017 by Brian Logan

A virgin dominatrix whipped Edinburgh, Tim Key looked for love and Hannah Gadsby quit then won two awards. But only the snide, brutal brilliance of Frankie Boyle could triumph over the year�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04AM
Thursday, December 14, 2017

Sofie Hagen's new show is raw, urgent and confessional … but is it comedy? by Brian Logan

Having explored her depression and anxiety, the Danish comic is tackling childhood trauma. How do standups amuse an audience if even they don’t find their subject funny?Her first show, Bub…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:12AM
Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Peter Kay – review by Brian Logan

O2 Arena, LondonTo start his show, Peter Kay turns a camera on his audience, gifting one or two their moment on the giant upstage screen. At the end, he karaokes Queen and the Proclaimers to…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM

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 09:12AM

Judd Apatow: The Return review – Netflix stand-up special is a bit of a trainwreck by Brian Logan

Hollywood super-producer’s attempts at self-deprecation don’t combine well with boasts about schmoozing the presidentWe have Amy Schumer to thank for the filmmaker Judd Apatow’s return…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06AM
Monday, December 11, 2017

Ongals: meet the Korean clown babies baffling audiences of all ages by Brian Logan

Mixing circus skills with finely honed comedy and bum jokes, these juggling, beatboxing man-toddlers are joyous – and more than a little menacingMy three-year-old son, Gregor, thinks farti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:33AM