‘A sight to behold!’ Soho Theatre Walthamstow brings live performance back to historic venue

After a major restoration, new theatre in east London announces opening programme with Sara Pascoe and Rosie Jones on the bill – plus panto and a new show by Bryony KimmingsIt opened as a Victorian music hall, had various incarnations as a picture hous…

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Demi Adejuyigbe’s must-see comedy backflip: ‘It’s kind of Evel Knievel!’

The Good Place writer didn’t know there were prizes at the Edinburgh fringe until his acrobatic debut show earned him a nomination. Now he hopes to spring similar surprisesIf you wanted a career that sums up the amorphous nature of modern comedy – from…

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Amy Annette: Thick Skin review – tales of 00s teenhood teleport you to the dancefloor

Soho theatre, LondonAnnette’s stage presence shines in a show full of vivid observations, campy asides and nostalgic pop cultureAmy Annette is the sort of woman who’d rather drop her phone than a lovely bit of bread, she tells us by way of introduction…

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‘I’ve finally realised I like John Shuttleworth!’ Graham Fellows on 40 years with his organ-plonking alter ego

He has notched up tours, albums, books and a sitcom. Why is he tortured by feelings of under-achievement? As Fellows hits the road, he pops an aniseed ball and discusses his new song – about an audience member falling off a cliffWhen Graham Fellows fir…

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Nina Conti: Whose Face Is It Anyway? review – masterful ventriloquist’s sublime silliness

Apollo theatre, LondonConti is in supreme command of her comedy chaos, devising voices, ad hoc songs and daft scenariosThe early phase of Nina Conti’s career was marked by restless boundary pushing, as she – and her sidekick Monkey – twisted ventriloqu…

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Chris McCausland: ‘Yonks!’ review – mischievous Strictly winner goes back to the day job

Waterside theatre, AylesburyThe TV star’s tour covers childhood delinquency, celebrity encounters and a rectal examination – without ever getting especially personal‘Twenty one years of hard graft on the comedy scene, to now be best known for dancing.”…

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Panti Bliss: ‘The gays will never forgive me for that’

Irish drag performer and LGBTQ+ activist Rory O’Neill AKA Panti Bliss on Beyoncé, why Australia is so annoying about coffee, and pestering Madonna for a liftWhat’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?There’s a saying that I first heard said…

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Rob Copland on his head-banging, daredevil comedy: ‘I want it to feel like a punk rock show’

Featuring moshpits and acrobatics, the comic’s wildly physical brand of standup leaves audiences buzzing for hours. Now he’s taking his Edinburgh award-winning set on tour – if he can get through it without serious injuryComedian Rob Copland is s…

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Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible is Going to Happen review – hilarity and heartbreak

Arts Centre Melbourne, then Sydney and AdelaideFrom the producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, this brilliantly ambiguous one-man show poses the question: does standup comedy need to be true?The cliche of the sad clown – the jester who uses laughs to …

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Tony Slattery: the generous improv great whose successes masked his suffering

He was a wonderful team player in Whose Line Is It Anyway? and affection for him grew when he disclosed the severe pain and distress he was trying keep at bay• Comedian Tony Slattery dies aged 65• Tony Slattery: a life in picturesImprovisation has seld…

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