Soho theatre, LondonThe daughter of an aspirational mum and an overqualified dad, Kugblenu ruminates on privilege, parenthood and Nigella recipesIt’s 25 years since New Labour told us: “We’re all middle class now” and it’s not a claim that’s weathered …
Continue ReadingRichard Pryor, George Carlin, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams are given their dues in The Hall but the event is oddly sanctimoniousHow should we celebrate great comedians? Netflix’s latest exercise in live comedy is called The Hall: a new pantheon for l…
Continue ReadingThe standup on his worst gig, being inspired by his cat, and the comic genius of RylanWho inspires you?My cat, Pig. He wakes up, eats a bowl of tuna, does a huge dump, acts like an idiot for an hour and then naps. It’s the day-to-day routine that every…
Continue ReadingThe standup on his worst gig, being inspired by his cat, and the comic genius of RylanWho inspires you?My cat, Pig. He wakes up, eats a bowl of tuna, does a huge dump, acts like an idiot for an hour and then naps. It’s the day-to-day routine that every…
Continue ReadingRoyal Albert Hall, LondonThe standup returns to the stage on fine form, though one might wish The Slap was addressed, not glossed“I’m OK, if you’re wondering …” Of course, Chris Rock broaches right at the start of his show the incident we’re all thinki…
Continue ReadingAs his hotly anticipated tour arrives in the UK, audiences are wondering whether Rock will share some freshly minted material on the Oscars bust-upMight “the slap” – when Will Smith walloped Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony – have been a publicity stu…
Continue ReadingThe standup on starting out in comedy, increasingly savvy audiences and the best advice she has ever receivedHow did you get into comedy?I think I fell into it. It was a night out with the comedy society at my university and we all got up and gave it a…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonThe South African storyteller’s expressive presence and assured comedy chops ensure easy laughs With its back-to-basics account of who he is and where he comes from, Schalk Bezuidenhout’s set might be mistaken for a debut hour. Come…
Continue ReadingSoho 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…
Continue ReadingIncident 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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