Chloe Petts review – cheery comedy confronting thorny issues

Soho theatre, LondonSkilful standup’s debut, Transience, takes the heat out of fraught conversations about gender and is well worth the waitWas ever a debut show longer awaited? Chloe Petts’ first solo hour was good to go just as Covid reared its spike…

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Dave Chappelle attacked by man with replica gun at LA comedy festival

Incident raises further questions over comedian safety after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at OscarsThe comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked during a performance in Los Angeles, according to witnesses and videos of the incident posted online.Footage sh…

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Jack Docherty: Nothing But review – fantasy and tragedy at the Edinburgh fringe

Soho theatre, LondonAs he tells the story of a one-night stand from 30 years ago, the comic explores youthful dreams and midlife disappointmentA bittersweet love letter to the Edinburgh fringe, performed by a middle-aged Scotsman? I may be the optimum …

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Alan Partridge: Stratagem review – two hours of tremendous silliness

Edinburgh PlayhouseIn a joyful return to the stage, Steve Coogan’s deathless alter ego delivers a motivational lecture he keeps on derailingThe last time Alan Partridge graced the nation’s stages, he was trying his hand as a life coach, in Steve Coogan…

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Barry Humphries: The Man Behind the Mask review – basking in nostalgia

Richmond theatre, LondonWhile an impish spirit remains, the comic behind Dame Edna Everage follows the well-worn template of celebs recounting their life storiesAt 88, with almost seven decades of character comedy behind him, “the one character I’ve ne…

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‘Comedy is a powerful recruitment tool’: how the US rightwing use laughs for vast influence

Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx spent months researching rightwing comedy and found that whether or not you’re laughing, you can’t ignore its powerIn January, Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum: it’s me or Joe Rogan. The streaming giant picked Rogan, …

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‘Comedy is a powerful recruitment tool’: how the US rightwing use laughs for vast influence

Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx spent months researching rightwing comedy and found that whether or not you’re laughing, you can’t ignore its powerIn January, Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum: it’s me or Joe Rogan. The streaming giant picked Rogan, …

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Russell Kane: ‘A bad gig? The great dane that came up on to the stage’

The standup on courgette puns, comedy audiences and why John Kennedy Toole is his comedy heroWhat did you spend lockdown doing? I leaped straight into creating standup video rants which I call “Kaneings”. This kept me sane and felt almost like doing st…

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Comedian Chloe Petts: ‘I thought I’d resolved all of this stuff about masculinity’

The standup talks about touring with Ed Gamble, how comics enjoy the life of a retiree and the importance of exploring gender and its presentation“I’m a radical feminist and queer,” says Chloe Petts. “But also a top football lad who wants to go to the …

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‘Will Boris drive a tuk-tuk this time?’ … a comedian relives Johnson’s last hilarious India visit

In 2012, he gurned his way around Mumbai on a tiny bike, baffling everyone except the Indian elite, who adore a posh, bumbling Brit. Could this new visit see the PM being compared to Beyoncé?If you Google Boris Johnson while online in India, a brillian…

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