From Van Gogh to Superman: Keep cool with our guide to the summer’s best arts and entertainment

From a very hungry crocodile to some equally famished zombies, a superstar Compton rapper to a Smallville superhero: our critics choose the eye-opening arts events that will dazzle you over the next few monthsA Midsummer Night’s DreamBridge theatre, Lo…

Continue Reading

From Van Gogh to Superman: Keep cool with our guide to the summer’s best arts and entertainment

From a very hungry crocodile to some equally famished zombies, a superstar Compton rapper to a Smallville superhero: our critics choose the eye-opening arts events that will dazzle you over the next few monthsA Midsummer Night’s DreamBridge theatre, Lo…

Continue Reading

The Empire Strips Back review – Chewie gets jiggy in galactic burlesque parody

Riverside Studios, LondonHumour abounds in this Star Wars-themed cabaret, as Boba Fett bumps and grinds while Han Solo and Chewbacca share a Backstreet Boys numberMight there be an overlap between sci-fi fans – I speak as one myself – and audiences who…

Continue Reading

Standing Up review – autism gets sappy treatment in didactic family road movie

Familiar worries about how to raise a neurodiverse child are played out with empathy but little subtletyWhile normally I’m a soft touch for any film about autistic children, one just can’t let something as sappy and annoyingly didactic as this road mov…

Continue Reading

Hold on to Your Butts review – Jurassic Park redone with DIY dinos

Arcola theatre, LondonThis recreation of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic is frenetic fun, with the dinosaurs brought to life using physical comedy – and traffic conesHold on to your … what? Your enjoyment of this show may well depend on whether you rec…

Continue Reading

Chris Thorburn: Cineman review – heard the one about Sex Times at Spring Break High?

The Stand, EdinburghThis movie-mad comic lampoons Hollywood through sketch and song but some of his material could have been left in the cutting roomFilms are the best art form, declares Chris Thorburn, so he’s created a comedy show to evoke a trip to …

Continue Reading

‘They’re dumb – but I want to win’: comedians tell of the highs and lows of the Edinburgh fringe awards

Awards generate a buzz and are motivating but the pressure to be nominated and the disappointment are intense“I have a very toxic relationship with awards,” says Natalie Palamides, who won best newcomer at the 2017 Edinburgh comedy awards. “Obviously, …

Continue Reading

Loud and queer: Gareth Thomas, Rosie Jones and more on the culture that helped them find their true selves

From a rugby great to a former MP, LGBTQ stars spill the beans on the shows, songs and films that made them understand their identityBronski Beat – Smalltown Boy Continue reading…

Continue Reading

Dawn of the Big Yin: rediscovered film shows Billy Connolly on the road to comedy glory

The 1975 tour documentary Big Banana Feet captures a comic growing into his extraordinary talents – and adjusting to unprecedented fameIn an age where our every selfie, photogenic breakfast and “thing I’m ashamed to admit” is preserved eternally online…

Continue Reading

Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet review – proto-punk star comic at his 70s peak

Restored 1976 doc of Connolly’s tour of Ireland shows that, despite his bombastic stage presence, he is impeccably polite. But his naughtier material hasn’t aged wellHere is a 70s time capsule as pungent as a brimming pub ashtray. Restored and rereleas…

Continue Reading