An interest in spiritualism drew the escapologist and the Sherlock Holmes author together but, as actor-playwright Haig’s drama Magic shows, also threw them into conflictIt’s the question most often posed to artists: where do you get your ideas from? D…
Continue ReadingFrom Stewart Lee in his wolf costume to Werner Herzog’s big steak sizzle-up, artists are now under huge duress to ‘chase the algorithm’ and reach audiences. Many of them are hitting burnout – and hitting backThere was a meme recently featuring Tony Sop…
Continue ReadingMike Bridenstine appeared on this podcast three years ago in Episode 417. Since then, he has written and published his second book about comedy, “Kansas …
Continue ReadingApollo 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 ReadingPark 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 ReadingArcola 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 ReadingRoyal 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 ReadingRoyal 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 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 ReadingThe 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…
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