Norwich Theatre RoyalThere are eye-popping designs, playful puns and musical flourishes as Joe Tracini’s story unfolds on its own madcap shorelineHere is a sun-kissed panto to dispel any dreams of a white Christmas. Joe Tracini’s script is set in the s…
Continue ReadingPark theatre, LondonGleefully leaning into all the cliches and groansome laughs, Dan Patterson and Jez Bond’s musical vampire romp is supremely sillyIf ever there was a show where the title came first, you’d guess it was this one by Dan (Whose Line Is …
Continue ReadingYork Theatre RoyalPaul Hendy’s panto includes some silly surprises, well-handled audience interaction and a twinkling dameAnyone remember the bit in Sleeping Beauty with the velociraptor named Kevin? Me neither. But an incongruous dinosaur sidekick is …
Continue ReadingThe Stand, GlasgowThe one time Dancing On Ice contestant is hard not to like but his judgment of audience as ‘tepid’ is wide of the mark – they did well to get through such slim pickings‘Just jokes and you don’t have to think.” That’s Josh Jones’s offe…
Continue ReadingArcola theatre, LondonThis riff on Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories has flashes of promise but its comedy and purpose never landShouldn’t that be Flat 2b? Then again, there are bigger problems in this gender-switched reworking of Arthur Conan Doy…
Continue ReadingLyric Hammersmith, London A sinister giant computer and a meat-eating headmaster have a sinister plan for shy Jack and his schoolfriends. Meanwhile, the Fairy Godfather has the hots for the dame This is not your bog-standard Jack and the Beanstalk. In …
Continue ReadingResearchers say results underline large language models’ poor grasp of humour, empathy and cultural nuanceComedians who rely on clever wordplay and writers of witty headlines can rest a little easier, for the moment at least, research on AI suggests.Ex…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonTim Foley’s conspiracy-fuelled comedy pits reason against delusion as a palaeontology lecturer faces a dean who believes Jurassic Park is realLogic and reason are torn to shreds in Tim Foley’s sharp, silly satire about fossils and f…
Continue ReadingBirmingham RepHumphrey Ker and David Reed’s witty thriller blends Victorian sleuthing, meta gags and new songs by the great musical-theatre duoA serial killer working through the alphabet (Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders) or Catholicism’s list of gra…
Continue ReadingRoyal Court theatre, LiverpoolPaul Duckworth’s sweary Scrooge has romantic history with Marley’s widow in a pun-heavy festive showWhether it’s Paul Hilton at London’s Old Vic this winter or Marti Pellow in Glasgow next year, you’re never far from a Scr…
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