Nowhere to hide: why interactive comedys jokes are on you by Brian Logan

From wink-murder Hamlet to Swingball to kissing, audience participation is hard to predict. Shrinking violets beware: the joke this autumn could be you Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:00am on September 7, 2014☆⚑

Decorum, decay and impending death Joan Rivers' standup by Brian Logan

Brian Logan remembers the four times he saw the unflinching, fierce and filthy performances of this comedic force Joan Rivers obituary Joan Rivers the best of her career in clips and quotes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:36am on September 5, 2014☆⚑

Rhys Nicholson review gross-out comedy soars to unexpected heights by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonNicholson's routines are generic in places, but the man delivering them belongs on stage and isn't afraid to show it Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:39am on September 3, 2014☆⚑

Steen Raskopoulos review charming, nerve-jangling comedy by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonRaskopoulos has acting flair, an eye for vivid character and deftness in handling and discomfiting his audience Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:32am on August 27, 2014☆⚑

John Kearns: loser takes all at Edinburgh by Brian Logan

John Kearns has turned failure into silly, soul-searching comedy. Will scooping Edinburgh's top comedy award spoil the punchline? Brian Logan meets the man hailed as the new Hancock Continue…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:44pm on August 25, 2014☆⚑

John Kearns wins the Foster's Edinburgh comedy award 2014 by Brian Logan

John Kearns, former House of Commons tour guide, takes top award at Edinburgh. Alex Edelman is named best newcomer, and Funz and Gamez receive the panel prize Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:59am on August 23, 2014☆⚑

Funz and Gamez review the cult hit of the Edinburgh festival 2014 by Brian Logan

Just the Tonic @ The Mash HouseFull of water pistols, marshmallows and inappropriate behaviour, this show pulverises the protocols on how to behave responsibly around children Continue readi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:41am on August 23, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Beta Males a breakneck tale of killer bakers by Brian Logan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe comic quartet throw themselves wholeheartedly at their story of magic cakes, with a dizzying cast of strange characters Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:09am on August 22, 2014☆⚑

End of the Edinburgh fringe the top comedy, and shows I missed by Brian Logan

Leaving the fringe is bittersweet: there's a treasure store of good memories, and regrets for what it wasn't possible to see Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:59am on August 22, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Lazy Susan tender and ridiculous romcom by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardThe comedy duo's will-they-won't-they Geordie couple are back, and they're as endearing as ever Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:13am on August 22, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Sam Simmons deliriously strange by Brian Logan

Underbelly Bristo SquareSimmons does a nice line in bloodvessel-busting barminess, but Death of a Sails-Man lacks something of his trademark richness Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36am on August 21, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Alex Horne's Monsieur Butterfly a show that could only originate on the fringe by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardInstead of telling jokes, Horne is building a Heath Robinson contraption on stage that manages to be a heroic metaphor for our lives Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:06am on August 21, 2014☆⚑

Last days of the fringe Edinburgh shows to make a comical dash for by Brian Logan

Edinburgh festival fringe ends on Sunday, so our comedy critic reveals where to go for last-minute fun, from debut comics to wacky standups Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:25am on August 21, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh comedy awards 2014 shortlist: who would get your vote? by Brian Logan

Liam Williams is my personal favourite of this years nominees. I loved his subterranean hour of nihilistic Gen-Y standup and Id have welcomed an appearance on the shortlist for his group Sh…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:58am on August 20, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Jeremy Paxman out of his comfort zone by Brian Logan

Paxman after Newsnight seems a little nervous but is soon back to blustering form, even if he's occasionally fishing for words Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:26am on August 20, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Celia Pacquola upbeat fun with a satisfying twist by Brian Logan

Gilded BalloonPacquola explores her addiction to psychics and tarot in an easygoing hour despite the padding Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:29am on August 20, 2014☆⚑

Take my husband: Stewart Lee, Bridget Christie and the rise of comedy couples by Brian Logan

With alliances between standups increasingly common, relationship gags are entering a brave new era in which both parties get to air their dirty linen on stage Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:57am on August 19, 2014☆⚑

Jack Dee's Help Desk review: when comedians become agony aunts by Brian Logan

Assembly George SquareAudience problems shared in Edinburgh festival fringe show: helped by John Bishop, it's less cynical than you might expect Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:16am on August 19, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Sheeps inventive, infinite sketch show from oddball trio by Brian Logan

Bedlam theatreThis clever, arch and multi-layered work celebrates how little you need to fuel successful comedy Liam Williams five-star review a shatteringly funny set: Edinburgh festival 2…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:27am on August 19, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Dizney Rascal poking scurrilous fun at Uncle Walt by Brian Logan

Rebecca Humphries ruthlessly parodies the house-of-mouse style while paying tribute to childhood heroes Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:14am on August 19, 2014☆⚑

Critical condition: how comedy coverage at the Edinburgh fringe is changing by Brian Logan

As the mainstream press withdraws from Edinburgh, there's been a rise in alternative voices. Some new reviewers will be learning on the job just like novice standups Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:28am on August 18, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Dane Baptiste's by-the-book debut by Brian Logan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghCitizen Dane is a show about cultural identity that just about transcends its formula through some fresh insights Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:25am on August 18, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Beasts these histrionics are hard to resist by Brian Logan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThis sketch trio fling themselves at their material and, at their anarchic best, recall the Dangerous Brothers Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:03pm on August 17, 2014☆⚑

Romesh Ranganathan's grumpy show is often bluntly funny Edinburgh festival 2014 review by Brian Logan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghRanganathan has plenty to say about veganism, choosing schools and interracial relationships, but this is an uneven hour of comedy Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:32pm on August 17, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014 review: James Acaster standup of the highest order by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardThe timing is spot on and the writing never falters as Acaster plays an undercover cop posing as a comic James Acaster: 'Normal people perv solo' Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:40am on August 17, 2014☆⚑