Sebastian Maniscalco: the record-breaking comic who impressed Scorsese

The world’s fifth highest-earning comedian talks about going from serving Robert De Niro drinks to co-starring with him on screenIt’s an early Thursday morning in Los Angeles and Sebastian Maniscalco sounds weary, but for good reason. Not only is he en…

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Ken Jeong: insecure men find my nude scenes reassuring

After the smart-aleck sitcom Community and the outrageous Hangover movies, the rude and raging comedian is returning to standupRage, mania and disinhibition are the common factors in Ken Jeong’s comedy. That’s whether he’s springing naked from the boot…

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A lifetime of material: a comedian’s guide to the Indian election

The Stay Awake party, the polling station in an area populated by lions … on the eve of results in India, Anuvab Pal reveals how the biggest election in history – with 900 million voters – is comedy goldI sit down to read the Indian Express and come ac…

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Ian McKellen review – heartfelt hilarity from a crusader of the stage

Everyman, CheltenhamShakespeare, wizards and panto dames all play their part in an evening of autobiography that is a love letter to theatreScratch a great actor and you often find a born comic underneath and, watching Ian McKellen’s itinerant solo sho…

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‘She was our Michelle Obama’: how Gilda Radner changed comedy for ever

The death of the SNL star 30 years ago robbed the industry of one its finest voices – but not before she had blazed a trail for women such as Tina Fey to followThere is no shortage of excellent critical writing about the US comedy scene in the 80s, and…

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Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story review – tender Frank Sidebottom tribute

This documentary about Sievey’s wacky comic creation makes a good case for bestowing posthumous national treasure statusIt’s appropriate that this absorbing, tender documentary has been driven by a surge of fan loyalty and love. A grassroots Kickstarte…

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Pete Davidson is dating an older woman – why is the world shocked?| Arwa Mahdawi

Misogyny is behind the criticism of the Saturday Night Live comedian’s relationship with Kate BeckinsaleQuiz time! Put your calculators away, please, I have a maths problem designed to test every inch of your natural intelligence. Ready? Here we go: Pe…

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Miles Jupp: my double life as Mr Banks from Mary Poppins

Having been repeatedly told that he looks like David Tomlinson, Miles Jupp now finds himself playing the mildly aristocratic character actorThere is something unnerving about feeling that someone else has lived through your career before you’ve even ha…

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Carol Channing, star of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, dies aged 97

Celebrated for her performances in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello, Dolly! Channing also earned an Oscar nomination for Thoroughly Modern MillieCarol Channing, the American actor who originated the roles of Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes an…

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From improv to Ishtar: the many lives of comedy genius Elaine May

Trailblazing comic, Oscar-nominated writer and acting sensation Elaine May is back on Broadway. Nathan Lane, Cybill Shepherd and others reveal what makes her tickThe very idea ought to be mind-boggling. Elaine May, now 86, is currently starring as a wo…

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