Lee Evans steps down from standup " who else can do what he does? by Brian Logan

The expressive, elastic, inimitable comedian is retiring. I wish he'd consider a Lenny Henry-style reinvention insteadNews: Lee Evans to retire from comedy circuit Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:03am on November 21, 2014☆⚑

Shappi Khorsandi review " perky gags about porn and prejudice by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Anglo-Iranian comedian ranges entertainingly from racism to combative encounters at the school gate Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:20am on November 19, 2014☆⚑

Critics aren't comedy snobs " I like Lee Mack as much as Stewart Lee by Brian Logan

A new book suggests that critics 'tell people what's funny' " and that I personally prefer standup that's not funny at all. But our role as taste-makers is limitedStewart Lee review " tricks…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on November 19, 2014☆⚑

Dave Gorman review " PowerPoint gags are funny but all too familiar by Brian Logan

Hammersmith Apollo, LondonSurprise and significance are at a premium in a show that echoes the comic's small-screen patter too closely to excite' Q&A: Dave Gorman gets to the point " 'mo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:08am on November 17, 2014☆⚑

Stewart Lee review tricksy gags about liberals, rightwingers and the Islams by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe standups two-part set is, as ever, a rarefied viewing experience. You can take nothing at face value as he plays cat and mouse with the audience Continue …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:05am on November 14, 2014☆⚑

Ivo Graham review old Etonian comic revels in inadequacy by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe self-effacing former public schoolboy is painfully honest about his hangups in this lovely, well-written comic set Ten questions for Ivo Graham Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:50am on November 12, 2014☆⚑

Comedy, the art of the underdog so is success a curse for standups? by Brian Logan

Tim Minchin and Stewart Lee have both observed that fame and acclaim create dilemmas for comedians, who habitually punch upwards. But a comfortable life neednt blunt dissent and satire Conti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:39am on November 11, 2014☆⚑

Noel Fielding review solo standup set is a holiday from reality by Brian Logan

G Live, GuildfordInfuriating, mildly amusing and then wonderfully unforeseen, the Mighty Boosh mans show has some reality-busting set-pieces Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:49am on October 21, 2014☆⚑

Giving away comedians jokes is no laughing matter by Brian Logan

Publishing standups one-liners is cheap clickbait that does comedians and their gags no favours Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:02am on October 21, 2014☆⚑

Lee Mack review latterday Eric Morecambe is gloriously daft by Brian Logan

Apollo, LondonThis is comedy that time forgot meticulous, gag-heavy tomfoolery with a great sense of attack Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:50am on October 20, 2014☆⚑

Ahmed Ahmed review adolescent gags about pot, cougars and race by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Egyptian-American comedian has a few lively moments, but for the most part, his material on race and dating doesnt inspire confidence or many laughs Continue reading.…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:03am on October 16, 2014☆⚑

Pay-per-laugh: the comedy club that charges punters having fun by Brian Logan

Reportedly a riposte to the Spanish governments tax on theatre tickets, one Barcelona clubs gimmick could be the harbinger of the comedy apocalypse Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:49am on October 14, 2014☆⚑

Simon Amstell review funny, delightful and insightful social critique by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonCasting himself as a social misfit, in To Be Free, Amstell turns his fire, sometimes embarrassingly, on all of us Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:27am on October 13, 2014☆⚑

Paul Chowdhry review tawdry gags about Gypsies, gay people and the French by Brian Logan

Beck theatre, HayesHis PCs World show seldom strays from xenophobia in a show full of poor jokes and weak puns Never mind the broadcasts: TV doesnt make or break a standup Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:39am on October 8, 2014☆⚑

Never mind the broadcasts: TV doesnt make or break a standup by Brian Logan

Most of the UKs top-selling comedians have regular television gigs, but its heartening news that half of comedy-goers would be happy to watch a comedian they havent previously seen on telly …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:07am on October 7, 2014☆⚑

Billy Connolly review Older, frailer but Big Yin is still a maestro by Brian Logan

Aberdeen Music HallThe show is not the work of a man with a diminished sense of humour its classic Connolly, culled from a 50-year career Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:15pm on September 30, 2014☆⚑

All hail the Pajama Men: the Velvet Underground of comedy by Brian Logan

Without being a household name, or even having a TV show, this double-act have influenced an entire generation of comics Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on September 30, 2014☆⚑

Skit crit: Sheeps, Beasts and the new breed of sketch show by Brian Logan

The same sketch performed over and over, an ensemble competing to go solo, and a show rewritten live on stage Brian Logan meets the young guns rebooting sketch comedy Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:59am on September 29, 2014☆⚑

Lee Evans review when he starts talking he stops being funny by Brian Logan

O2 Arena, LondonThe physical foolery is fine, but some of Evans jokes are not very nice at all Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:26am on September 28, 2014☆⚑

Bad timing: when breaking news makes comedy uncomfortable by Brian Logan

After the Rotherham abuse scandal, the sleazy taxi drivers in Cardinal Burnss sketch generate unease. What should comedians do when their material suddenly becomes sensitive? Continue readin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:55am on September 22, 2014☆⚑

James Acaster: Kettering confidential by Brian Logan

James Acasters new show, in which he goes undercover in his own home town, has put the Edinburgh award nearly-man in the comedy big league Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on September 17, 2014☆⚑

Thats funny: why arent there more comedy magazines? by Brian Logan

Received wisdom says theres no market for a publication about standup, but Stand & Deliver hopes to change all that by looking under the bonnet of what makes things amusing Continue read…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:40am on September 15, 2014☆⚑

Cardinal Burns review an absurd night of cut-above comedy by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThere are some great moments in this infectiously ridiculous show, which doesnt rely too much on the pairs hit TV series Cardinal Burns: the comedy duo shaking up TV sket…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:41am on September 15, 2014☆⚑

Michael Palin: Travelling to Work review a ripping yarn or three by Brian Logan

Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonHot on the heels of Monty Python at the O2, Palin's latest offering is mildly amusing but his bricolage offers no surprises Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:14pm on September 9, 2014☆⚑

You've got to laugh Britain has the world's liveliest comedy scene by Brian Logan

No other nation is as funny as we are, thanks to the punk revolution, the Edinburgh fringe and the legacy of Thatcherism Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on September 8, 2014☆⚑