Fierce festival, BirminghamThis immersive cabaret invites you into a world of ‘goblin core’, drag ogres and live art happeningsBirmingham’s Fierce festival opened this week with a compelling call by director Aaron Wright for the UK to diversify its the…
Continue ReadingHackney Empire, LondonThe crossword-setting comic has lost none of his zest as he noodles in the nooks and deep-dives into the detailsStruggling for comedy work under lockdown, Dave Gorman developed a sideline as a cryptic crossword setter, for this ne…
Continue ReadingThe hotly tipped comic was the talk of Edinburgh with his blistering hour of hilariously hollow egomania – and audiences haven’t a clue whether to pity or deplore himUK standup has a new superstar – and we have Covid (just a little bit) to thank. When …
Continue ReadingThe comedian and podcaster on the charms of British sitcoms, starting her own club night and hot new talent on the circuitWhat drew you to British comedy?Probably Skins or The Inbetweeners. Growing up in Texas I watched my fair share of BBC America – t…
Continue ReadingLeicester Square theatre, LondonThe American comedian goes straight for the jugular in a fearlessly off-colour and skilfully constructed show‘Oh, your queen died,” says Michelle Wolf, faux-absent-mindedly. “I’m sorry if that’s news.” If anyone here arr…
Continue ReadingMercury theatre, ColchesterAn uneven new play from Mischief Theatre skews darker than their hit comedies, with jarring tragedy amid the clowningThe Play That Goes Wrong’s Mischief Theatre have taken their spoofs of ham-fisted am-dram to the West End, B…
Continue ReadingMercury theatre, ColchesterAn uneven new play from Mischief Theatre skews darker than their hit comedies, with jarring tragedy amid the clowningThe Play That Goes Wrong’s Mischief Theatre have taken their spoofs of ham-fisted am-dram to the West End, B…
Continue ReadingWembley Arena, LondonThe standup returns to the UK with a set on morality, sex and religion that often excels but also stalls with casual misanthropyThe last time Louis CK performed major UK gigs, he breathed the rarefied air of prestige standup supers…
Continue ReadingNetflixThe campaigning US satirist covers politics, parenthood and ‘the jurisprudence of jokes’ in a brash set delivered with major brioYou can’t accuse Hasan Minhaj of not packing enough into The King’s Jester, his first Netflix special for five years…
Continue ReadingThe Grammy-nominated US comedian with a nice-guy reputation has warmed up for the pope and doesn’t swear on stage. But since he called out Trump on Twitter, are we seeing a new, spikier side to the ‘king of clean’?When I first wrote about Jim Gaffigan,…
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