My Right Foot review – wryly humorous look at life with a terminal illness

Axis Ballymun, DublinMixing childhood memories, songs and Shakespeare, Michael Patrick delivers a one-man show about the reality of being given four years to liveMichael Patrick may not live long enough to play King Lear, so a rendition of Lear’s storm…

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‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival

Murder by bone-saw, lashings for rape victims, punitive amputation, jail for satirists … these are the Saudi human rights abuses fuelling the fury being directed at the likes of Louis CK, Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Carr. How have they responded?To paraph…

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Rosie O’Donnell: ‘Meat Loaf’s mother wrote me and said, “You can’t be mean to my son”’

The beloved host and comedian on blubbering fans, scary kangaroos, her favourite Irish person and the strangest job she has ever hadGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailYour show is called Common Knowledge. What do you think should be common know…

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‘This is not a sealed deal’: Bryony Kimmings on confronting climate catastrophe in a ‘great night out’

The revered performance artist returns with three arresting projects for stage and screen, each cultivating hope for the condition of the planetPerformance artist Bryony Kimmings doesn’t hold back. If something is troubling her then it invariably finds…

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‘Am I a bad person because you can see my nipples?’ Elouise Eftos on making standup sexy

In an age of self-deprecation, the former cabaret star is infuriating fellow standups by calling herself ‘Australia’s first attractive comedian’ – and flaunting her sex appeal on stageIs Elouise Eftos really Australia’s first attractive comedian? Her f…

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Louis CK defends decision to perform at Riyadh comedy festival as ‘a good opportunity’

Comedian admits to mixed feelings but says event is a ‘positive thing’ despite human rights abuses in Saudi ArabiaLouis CK has defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia after fellow comedians criticised the big name…

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The best theatre to stream this month: Chris O’Dowd rules the roost in Conor McPherson’s family saga

The Irish actor returns to the stage in farmhouse drama The Brightening Air, stars of The Jewel in the Crown reunite for Creditors and choreographer Mark Bruce reanimates FrankensteinAlmost 30 years after The Weir made him the toast of Theatreland, Con…

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What 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…

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What 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…

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‘My past was chaos’: Iain Lee on abuse, cocaine, comedy, his on-air breakdown and his ‘sex addict’ father

The broadcaster and comedian has been delighting and outraging audiences for almost 30 years. Off-air, his life has lurched from crisis to crisis. Has he finally found peace?It’s nearly three decades since Iain Lee roamed the streets for Channel 4’s 11…

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