Available online With weariness and seething frustration, the comedian sounds off in style about gender inequality and sexismThe starting point of Jen Brister’s 2018 show Meaningless, now available online from Soho theatre, is that the Bright…
Continue ReadingHow do you make audiences laugh in a town that hates show-offs and loves to hassle performers? Our writer gets some hot tips as she continues her comedy tourIn 2005, you could fit the whole Cardiff comedy scene into a small minibus, says comic Elis Jam…
Continue ReadingThe comedy industry is in crisis and we could all do with hearing a few jokes. Here’s a guide to the virtual gigs you can enjoy this weekLike all comedy clubs, the Angel in London is closed and faces a precarious future caused by the Covid shutdown. Th…
Continue ReadingAvailable onlineLive cabaret becomes alternative sketch show as the Stamptown gang make merry with Zoom-era laughsCan you capture online the raucous energy of the best live comedy cabarets? It’s not easy – because audience and performers aren’t in the …
Continue ReadingHow does it feel to see a show you’ve spent years working on being pulled? From Love Islanders to Foals, Laura Wade and Wayne McGregor, artists reveal their darkest days – and deepest worriesIain Stirling, voice of Love Island, standup comedianIf this …
Continue ReadingAvailable on Netflix★★★☆☆/★★☆☆☆Oswalt’s frothy set about ageing, Jesus and fitness freaks keeps the laughs coming, while a barking Rubin delivers something much harder to swallowThe American standup Patton Oswalt’s last special, Annihilation …
Continue ReadingThe Australian standup feared she would spook audiences with her frank examination of trauma, but it made her a star. With new show Douglas on Netflix, she’s taking risks of a different kindSoon after she opens her new standup comedy show, Douglas, the…
Continue ReadingThe comedian, actor, and writer on the things that make him laugh the mostHonours even between Neil Hamburger and Kate Berlant, both US comedians. I like loads of British acts just as much for their intelligence, soulfulness, artistry and so on, but I’…
Continue ReadingAvailable on NetflixGadsby follows up her hit show Nanette with a swaggering set that blazes with well-earned confidenceHottest front-room seats: the best theatre and dance onlineThe last time Hannah Gadsby released a Netflix special, it changed h…
Continue ReadingFrom care work to shelf-stacking, many standups have taken up jobs to survive lockdown – highlighting how privilege has created a two-tier system in comedyOn 16 March, when Boris Johnson advised people to avoid pubs and theatres, the effect on live com…
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