Flashback – Jayde Adams and her late sister, Jenna: ‘I started making jokes at her bedside, and I haven’t stopped since’

The comedian, actor and presenter talks about an old photograph, and how her big sister’s early death spurred her to write her award-winning debut standup showBorn in Bristol in 1984, Jayde Adams is a comedian, actor and presenter known for her bombast…

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From West Side Story to The Witcher: a complete guide to this week’s entertainment

Whether it’s a Spielberg musical, a global photography prize or a comedy Christmas show, our critics have your plans for the week coveredWest Side StoryOut nowSteven Spielberg takes on the classic musical (above), pitting Sharks against Jets in 1950s N…

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Inside No 9: An Evening with Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith review – small talk, big laughs

Brighton DomeThe comedy writers behind one of the BBC’s most successful series perform an entertaining, behind-the-scenes double act ‘If you’re going to cry, cry tears of laughter,” they sing. “Your funny bone can never break in two.” The lyrics are fr…

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Nina Conti: The Dating Show review – joy and chaos with the magical matchmaker

Palace theatre, SouthendAided by audience volunteers, the fleet-footed comic balances several difficult tricks at the same time before a finale set in an erotic fire stationIs there an act anywhere in comedy as machine-tooled to make us laugh as Nina C…

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Michael Spicer review – online satirist delivers his greatest hits

Old Market, Hove The YouTuber drily responds to some chucklesome internet footage, and plays the part of a frustrated political adviser, in onstage re-enactments of his best clipsAs a rule, I like my live shows to have some element of liveness about th…

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Megan Stalter review – a true star turn from the super-silly comic

Soho theatre, LondonAs a wannabe stage and screen queen in the spotlight, the American comedian brings to life her character’s unquenchable thirst for attention‘You guys are a horrible audience!” Like Patti Harrison at this address a few weeks ago, or …

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String v Spitta review – children’s entertainers do battle

Soho theatre, LondonThis odd-couple double act of east London MC and toffee-nosed children’s entertainer are great fun for adultsThe world of children’s entertainment has provided a rich seam for comedians: see Justin Edwards’ alcoholic clown Jeremy Li…

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On my radar: Bridget Christie’s cultural highlights

The comedian on Jon Ronson’s take on the culture wars, an app for menopausal women, and a life-affirming book about deathBorn in Gloucester in 1971, comedian Bridget Christie’s debut BBC Radio 4 series, Bridget Christie Minds the Gap, was first broadca…

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‘People think my videos are real!’: meet Megan Stalter, the new queen of online cringe comedy

Pinpoint parodies of ‘weird church ladies and soccer moms’ made the Ohio comic famous during the pandemic – even if progressives mistake her for the real thingMegan Stalter put a video online recently of a churchgoer from the US midwest distressed to b…

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Grammy awards: controversial comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis CK receive nominations

The prominent critics of ‘cancel culture’ received nominations for best spoken word album and best comedy album, respectivelyControversial comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis CK, who have both forcefully decried so-called “cancel culture”, have received…

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