‘I’m a venal narcissist’ – standup Leo Reich on skewering his inner Gen-Z monster

The hotly tipped comic was the talk of Edinburgh with his blistering hour of hilariously hollow egomania – and audiences haven’t a clue whether to pity or deplore himUK standup has a new superstar – and we have Covid (just a little bit) to thank. When …

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Kemah Bob: ‘I get so much bad advice from men who’ve never done comedy before’

The comedian and podcaster on the charms of British sitcoms, starting her own club night and hot new talent on the circuitWhat drew you to British comedy?Probably Skins or The Inbetweeners. Growing up in Texas I watched my fair share of BBC America – t…

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Michelle Wolf review – no taboo is off limits for spiky standup

Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe American comedian goes straight for the jugular in a fearlessly off-colour and skilfully constructed show‘Oh, your queen died,” says Michelle Wolf, faux-absent-mindedly. “I’m sorry if that’s news.” If anyone here arr…

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Good Luck, Studio review – the toddlers’ TV show that goes wrong

Mercury theatre, ColchesterAn uneven new play from Mischief Theatre skews darker than their hit comedies, with jarring tragedy amid the clowningThe Play That Goes Wrong’s Mischief Theatre have taken their spoofs of ham-fisted am-dram to the West End, B…

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Good Luck, Studio review – the toddlers’ TV show that goes wrong

Mercury theatre, ColchesterAn uneven new play from Mischief Theatre skews darker than their hit comedies, with jarring tragedy amid the clowningThe Play That Goes Wrong’s Mischief Theatre have taken their spoofs of ham-fisted am-dram to the West End, B…

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Louis CK review – sordid, cynical and queasy comedy

Wembley Arena, LondonThe standup returns to the UK with a set on morality, sex and religion that often excels but also stalls with casual misanthropyThe last time Louis CK performed major UK gigs, he breathed the rarefied air of prestige standup supers…

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Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester review – slick comedy boastfully told

NetflixThe campaigning US satirist covers politics, parenthood and ‘the jurisprudence of jokes’ in a brash set delivered with major brioYou can’t accuse Hasan Minhaj of not packing enough into The King’s Jester, his first Netflix special for five years…

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Standup Jim Gaffigan: ‘I never wanted to do us-and-them comedy’

The Grammy-nominated US comedian with a nice-guy reputation has warmed up for the pope and doesn’t swear on stage. But since he called out Trump on Twitter, are we seeing a new, spikier side to the ‘king of clean’?When I first wrote about Jim Gaffigan,…

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Isy Suttie review – charming comic on a wild childhood chase

Old Market, Brighton A thoroughly likable autobiographical show, comparing Suttie’s domestic midlife and her past daredevilry, hits the comic jackpot with its songsWhen Isy Suttie was a girl in Matlock, Derbyshire, she always had “an urge to look for t…

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Isy Suttie review – charming comic on a wild childhood chase

Old Market, Brighton A thoroughly likable autobiographical show, comparing Suttie’s domestic midlife and her past daredevilry, hits the comic jackpot with its songsWhen Isy Suttie was a girl in Matlock, Derbyshire, she always had “an urge to look for t…

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