Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Looking for rising stars this summer? Try gossipy standup, an end-of-the-pier homage and a ‘gay witch sex cult’
Frankie Monroe, the impish proprietor of a working men’s club who has ma…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:12AMSunday, July 21, 2024
Crowdfunding and finding patrons are among less painful options as cost of performing at the fringe soars
In the run-up to the Edinburgh festival fringe last year, comedian John Tothill was …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AMFriday, July 19, 2024
Downtrodden sitcom assistant Lynn Benfield is the inspiration for a play about a woman who escapes a relationship and starts a band. Its creator explains why its more true-to-life than you�…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:02PMSunday, July 14, 2024
Researchers say standups’ contribution is unsung, and hope findings will help to bolster the industry’s credibility
The live comedy industry in the UK contributes more than £1bn to the …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AMFashion and music from the 90s are with us again - not to mention a Labour landslide. Next month’s Edinburgh fringe will capture the mood
As Labour swept to a landslide win on 4 July to th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:32AMSaturday, June 22, 2024
For this year’s fringe, performers will be rapidly updating their shows to reflect the outcome at the ballot box
“Let’s just say, I didn’t make a bet on the election date, and if I h…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:24PMTuesday, May 28, 2024
From jobbing workers to familiar names, legions of entertainers are working well into their 70s and 80s. Why? Our writer uncovers an alarming story of shrinking budgets, axed royalties, misg…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:32AMSunday, April 21, 2024
Finborough theatre, LondonChanneling the Gamergate saga and the world of the online pickup artist, Van Badham’s disturbingly timely play offers dark laughs and rewarding nuance
Jake Newhou…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:02AMSunday, March 24, 2024
Warwick Arts CentreTed and Ralph, the ‘Suit you!’ tailors and the rest of the gang’s most fondly remembered characters reconvene for a 30th-anniversary greatest hits sketch show, inter…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:02AMTuesday, March 12, 2024
Sorry/Not Sorry tells the story of the comedian’s sexual misconduct through the eyes of the women who spoke out – and endured a vicious backlash from fans, podcasters and fellow standups…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48PMMonday, March 4, 2024
Growing up, Rosy Carrick was fascinated by Schwarzenegger, Lundgren and other shredded 80s screen stars. Now she is exploring what they helped her realise about her sex life
Is there a gap b…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:02AMThursday, February 29, 2024
They’ve been called ‘a disaster for the arts’ and lambasted for ‘pursuing a heavily woke agenda’. So what actually happens at a comedy workshop? Our writer joins 30 working-class s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:02AMThursday, January 25, 2024
Soho theatre, LondonIn a show revisiting her childhood and dissecting comedy tropes, the performer has captivating presence but her material meanders
Celya AB offers us a promising premise: …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AMTuesday, January 16, 2024
Lara Ricote is among the standups whose gags have landed with deaf and hearing people thanks to the work of stenographer Claire Hill
When Lara Ricote watches fellow comedians’ gigs, she li…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AMFriday, January 12, 2024
The US standup’s career was in its ascendancy before miscarriage and then a friend’s death knocked her for six. So she took stock – and turned her feelings into a show contextualising …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AMMonday, December 18, 2023
The comedian has turned her traumatic experiences into an Edinburgh comedy awards-nominated show – with a little help from a Thai boxing retreat and a botched haircut
I’m with the comedi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:54AMThursday, December 7, 2023
From Bill O’Neill’s slippery skins to Grubby Little Mitts’ ping-pong eyeballs, performers explain why their comedy leans on more than a mic stand
‘I have this illusion that I’m in …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:13AMMonday, August 28, 2023
As the curtain falls on this year’s fringe, we ask performers and producers how it was for them
By the end of the Edinburgh fringe, anyone who has been here all month will tell you how tir…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:43AMSaturday, August 26, 2023
Edinburgh fringe comics portraying cancelled standups and rightwing politicians talk about the dangers and successes of their satire
The US comedian Martin Urbano has always enjoyed mocking …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:33AMMonday, August 21, 2023
As the expense of performing and watching shows at the fringe is ever rising, three comedians ask their audiences to reassess what they place value on
Money is changing hands during a number…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:07AMFriday, August 18, 2023
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghPauroso is an astonishing performer who teases the crowd but her show raises more questions than there’s time to fully explore
Vanessa 5000, the creation of s…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:25PMComedians at the festival are enlisting volunteers to join in their acts, creating a warm, inclusive and fun space
As I cross the threshold of US comedian Moses Storm’s Edinburgh fringe sh…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:49AMThursday, August 17, 2023
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghIdentity politics are deftly and hilariously tackled, with the help of a diamante-studded sporran, in a compelling show
Jodie Mitchell’s debut hour in some wa…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:55AMMonday, August 14, 2023
Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghShowing off an impressive range of facial expressions, the comic takes us on a whistle-stop tour of his life with songs and sketches
I’ve seen Adam Flood tel…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:19PMSaturday, August 12, 2023
Laughing Horse @ Bar 50, EdinburghBradley throws a kids’ birthday bash full of nostalgic fun as they discuss their parents’ recent split, deftly immersing the audience in games and stori…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:49PMFriday, August 11, 2023
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghUsing snippets of pop culture, lip-syncing, video and clowning, the pair craft a rich exploration of eating disorders and gender dysphoria
Frankie Thompson, res…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:55PMTuesday, July 25, 2023
Theatre and comedy acts at this year’s festival break down their expenses and consider the financial risks
“The big, difficult cost this year is accommodation,” says RoguePlay’s arti…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:43AMTuesday, June 13, 2023
Sophie Duker and Jacob Hawley discuss how to draw revellers away from pop stars while Glastonbury’s Charlotte Lang explains what it takes to win over the cabaret tent
You’re in a massive…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:37AMFriday, April 28, 2023
Want to survive in the arts? Get a side hustle. We speak to an award-winning poet and governance manager, a gigging guitarist and teacher – and a successful comic who doubles as an immigra…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AMMonday, April 10, 2023
On Good Friday, police were called to a performance of The Bodyguard – and there have been numerous other examples of audiences behaving badly. With crowds heckling, screaming, livestreami…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:24PMTuesday, March 14, 2023
Some lied. Some hid it. And few even mined it for jokes. Becoming a mum used to be near-fatal to a comedian’s career. But now, in a Mother’s Day special, we meet the new wave taking on t…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM 
