The 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,…
Continue ReadingOld Market, Brighton A thoroughly likable autobiographical show, comparing Suttie’s domestic midlife and her past daredevilry, hits the comic jackpot with its songsWhen Isy Suttie was a girl in Matlock, Derbyshire, she always had “an urge to look for t…
Continue ReadingOld Market, Brighton A thoroughly likable autobiographical show, comparing Suttie’s domestic midlife and her past daredevilry, hits the comic jackpot with its songsWhen Isy Suttie was a girl in Matlock, Derbyshire, she always had “an urge to look for t…
Continue ReadingFelicity Kendal, Tracy-Ann Oberman and especially Joseph Millson are comic gifts in this 40th anniversary version that fits our times almost too well Well, here’s a surprise. Michael Frayn’s exquisite farce – now celebrating its 40th anniversary – has …
Continue ReadingLeicester Square theatre, LondonLess richly structured than his best work, this looser-limbed evening has given the comic wing-spreading room to experiment“Pure. Simple. Classic.” That’s the refrain – a little tongue-in-cheek, would you believe? – in S…
Continue ReadingThe comedian is a karaoke evangelist and had a religious experience watching Maggie Rogers. But which ‘cool band’ does she lie about liking?The first single I ever boughtI don’t know if I bought a single, but I do remember distinctly buying my first ev…
Continue ReadingEven though it affects one in five pregnancies, the loss of a baby is rarely talked about, especially among men. But standups Jacob Hawley and Will Duggan are using comedy to break that tabooIn 2019, the comedian Jacob Hawley was in his mid-20s and thi…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonThe standup was planning an altogether sillier show, but life got in the way, resulting in a set that spins grief and loss into an uproarious hourBefore Covid, and in contrast to the two thoughtful shows ruminating on gender that ma…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonThe notorious comic and performance artist explores loneliness and the human/animal divide in an intricately assembled scrapbook showIt’s taken Kim Noble seven years to make Lullaby for Scavengers. Just as well: I doubt any of us co…
Continue ReadingToo pricy, too elitist, just too big? After the criticisms of this year’s event, a panel of festival regulars consider the way forward for Edinburgh’s summer spectacularKaty Koren, co-artistic director, Gilded Balloon Continue reading…
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