Michelle Buteau review – winning hour of camp theatrics and Jersey sass

NetflixJoyous reflections on new motherhood, Amsterdam’s museums and working with J-Lo see the charismatic standup cresting a career-high waveWelcome to Buteaupia, Michelle Buteau’s Netflix special is called – and Buteaupia is where we find the 43-year…

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Greenwich Comedy festival review – starry lineup relishes return of live banter

National Maritime MuseumSara Pascoe, Rich Hall and Aisling Bea warm to an excited crowd – and a divine heckler – in the chilly outdoors‘Comedy isn’t essential?” asks Rich Hall, incredulously. “This isn’t essential?” After the government announced finan…

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Lee Ridley: ‘I’ve never been heckled – I’ve got comebacks I’m dying to use’

The comedian also known as Lost Voice Guy on the things that make him laugh the mostRoss Noble: the way his mind works is fascinating. Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading…

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Michael McIntyre: Showman review – super-trivial pursuits on Netflix

Netflix The horizons may be narrow in the British standup’s special but nobody does this sort of material better There’s something odd about watching Michael McIntyre’s first Netflix special. Maybe it’s surprise that it’s taken him so long. Maybe we’re…

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Nimax to reopen six West End venues with social distancing

Adam Kay to launch series as theatres plan to host smaller audiences and run at a lossCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNimax Theatres will reopen all six of its West End venues from October for a season of socially distanced …

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Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions review – cynical, in any language

Netflix The Mexican-American comic offers English and Spanish versions of his show, but the sexist fare is depressing however you look at itWith Bad Decisions/Malas Decisiones, Felipe Esparza becomes the first comedian to release simultaneous Netflix s…

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‘Kids can smell fear’: the standups who took over children’s TV

Is performing for young audiences easier? Far from it say the comedians who do clubs at night and CBBC shows by dayWhat do standup comics do in the daytime? A glance at television schedules provides an answer: many hone their craft in the gaily coloure…

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A funny thing happened: stunning portraits of stellar standups – in pictures

From Ken Dodd and his tickling stick to Nina Conti and her monkey, Guardian photographer Tristram Kenton has snapped a host of superb comedians on stage Continue reading…

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Our culture has lost its appetite for risk and making people feel uncomfortable | Kenan Malik

The debate about the BBC reveals that even when it comes to comedy we are stuck in echo chambers‘A real comedian – that’s a daring man,” Eddie Waters, an old standup turned evening class tutor, tells a group of would-be comics in Trevor Griffiths’s bri…

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Jokes, guffaws and hardy perennials: Shedinburgh mows down the fringe

With the Edinburgh festival shelved by Covid, standups have turned a garden shed into a stage for an online extravaganza. Our writer enjoys flashes of brilliance amid a dislocating experienceThere are precedents when it comes to memorable Edinburgh fri…

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