Episode #485: Mike Bridenstine, author, director and GM of the Lyric Hyperion
Mike Bridenstine appeared on this podcast three years ago in Episode 417. Since then, he has written and published his second book about comedy, “Kansas …
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Christmas Carol Goes Wrong review – a Dickensian disaster to savour
Apollo theatre, LondonMischief Theatre return to the am-dram battlefield, turning the Victorian tale into a blizzard of bruised egos and expertly timed farceIn the interval, I hear a newcomer to Mischief Theatre’s enduring “goes wrong” concept ask if t…
Continue ReadingDracapella review – power ballads and beatboxing as ghoulish comedy gets down for the count
Park theatre, LondonGleefully leaning into all the cliches and groansome laughs, Dan Patterson and Jez Bond’s musical vampire romp is supremely sillyIf ever there was a show where the title came first, you’d guess it was this one by Dan (Whose Line Is …
Continue ReadingMs Holmes and Ms Watson – Apt 2B review: mysterious case of the joke-cracking Sherlock
Arcola theatre, LondonThis riff on Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories has flashes of promise but its comedy and purpose never landShouldn’t that be Flat 2b? Then again, there are bigger problems in this gender-switched reworking of Arthur Conan Doy…
Continue ReadingThe Scouse Christmas Carol review – knockabout comedy with a potty mouth
Royal Court theatre, LiverpoolPaul Duckworth’s sweary Scrooge has romantic history with Marley’s widow in a pun-heavy festive showWhether it’s Paul Hilton at London’s Old Vic this winter or Marti Pellow in Glasgow next year, you’re never far from a Scr…
Continue ReadingThe Scouse Christmas Carol review – knockabout comedy with a potty mouth
Royal Court theatre, LiverpoolPaul Duckworth’s sweary Scrooge has romantic history with Marley’s widow in a pun-heavy festive showWhether it’s Paul Hilton at London’s Old Vic this winter or Marti Pellow in Glasgow next year, you’re never far from a Scr…
Continue ReadingWhat Have I Done? by Ben Elton review – a curious mixture of insight and rampaging ego
The Young Ones and Blackadder creator is sharp on the workings of the comedy industry – and not shy about listing his celebrity admirersBen Elton admits he has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way. In 1975, three weeks after his arrival at the St…
Continue ReadingWhat Have I Done? by Ben Elton review – a curious mixture of insight and rampaging ego
The Young Ones and Blackadder creator is sharp on the workings of the comedy industry – and not shy about listing his celebrity admirersBen Elton admits he has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way. In 1975, three weeks after his arrival at the St…
Continue ReadingEmma review – Austen’s comedy of manners gets an exaggerated Essex makeover
Rose theatre, Kingston upon ThamesAva Pickett’s modern-day adaptation of the novel adds pop music, farce and clowning but lacks gimlet-eyed observationsAn early blast of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance sets the mood of this 21st-century take on Jane Austen’s c…
Continue ReadingGolden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) review – a magic hour
Pleasance Dome, EdinburghKate Ireland’s warmly delivered one-woman show considers the pressures of productivity, rules and rewards at school and beyondShe has been given 60 minutes out of her audience’s day and Kate Ireland won’t waste them, she promis…
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