The stage version of the much-loved sitcom, which finished on TV 25 years ago, will be written by the duo behind the original series and feature several members of the original castSnooty news anchor Sally Smedley, gung-ho reporter Damien Day and etern…
Continue ReadingIn the run-up to the festival, our writers will choose new productions that have caught their eye – but here’s a selection of those we’ve already reviewedRichard Marsh has clearly seen Die Hard more times than he’s had Christmas dinners. He’s here in h…
Continue ReadingKomedia, BrightonThe standup delivers the finest set of his career – touching on fatherhood, bin bags and Van Gogh LegoYou could watch John Kearns’ act for a long time before thinking of Van Gogh. But that’s the parallel Kearns invites in The Varnishin…
Continue ReadingThe writer of the acclaimed Patricia Gets Ready… returns with a lockdown-inspired comedy drama about a drug dealer having a power cutThe trigger for a play can be many things: a moral dilemma or a political event, a true-life story or a misheard anecdo…
Continue ReadingThe standup comedian shares what makes them laugh online, including Key and Peele, bloopers for a restaurant ad and Ghanaian movie postersGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI grew up in a strict, religious household without an internet connecti…
Continue ReadingRoyal Festival Hall, LondonIn a quietly confident show with gags from the sophisticated to the stupid, the comic is consistently enjoyableThere’s something for everyone in a Phil Wang show. Puerile jokes and sophisticated ones. Progressive jokes and co…
Continue ReadingShakespeare’s Globe, LondonAmped-up visual gags and a cast that brings its own distinctive comic gifts to the Bard’s dialogue ensure a contemporary feel to the classic comedySean Holmes is associate artistic director at the Globe and there’s a lightnes…
Continue ReadingThe comedian on his worst gig, preshow rituals and receiving an ASD diagnosis after an audience interventionWhy did you start doing standup?I always wondered if I was funny. Or rather if my private sense of humour, that I shared with very few people, w…
Continue ReadingGraham Linehan and Dapper Laughs walk into a club … It sounds like the setup to a bad joke, yet platforming comics who may cause offence is a winning formula. But can a night run by a GB News host claim to be anti-establishment?It is a blustery eveni…
Continue ReadingThe standup has successfully used laughter as a balm, creating a safe space for himself and the audience to engage with this most difficult of subjectsThe death of a loved one. It’s the least funny thing in the world, right? Try telling that to Sam Mor…
Continue Reading