Men Behaving Badly: The Play review – boorish flatmates prattle like it’s 1999

Barn theatre, CirencesterSimon Nye brings back the characters from his hit TV series for a misconceived comedy set on millennium eveIn a nervy theatre economy, with familiar material most likely to sell tickets, nights out often feel nostalgic for nigh…

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The Rat Trap review – teenage Noël Coward’s jaundiced marital portrait

Park theatre, LondonBill Rosenfield reimagines the playwright’s early work about the souring relationship between newlywed artistsHell is other people – especially if you’re married to them. Noël Coward’s characters often struggle to fit their romantic…

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Bridget Christie: Jacket Potato Pizza review – how menopause set the standup free

Bristol BeaconIf the comic’s political fervour is dialled down, there is much to enjoy in a show delivered with flair and 10-ton sarcasmInner peace and contentment are not always gifts to the comedian, and – who knows? – maybe that’s why Bridget Christ…

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Wil Anderson: ‘I honestly believe being mistaken for Adam Hills is one of the great gifts of my life’

The comedian and podcast host on his cringeworthy interview with Heath Ledger, his perfect comedy movie, and the secret to improvising a new show every nightGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailDo you have a nemesis?I know Adam Hills did one of t…

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Pierre Novellie: You Sit There, I’ll Stand Here review – gags so good that resistance is futile

Soho theatre, London The standup mines familiar comedy scenarios, but dazzling one-liners and shaggy dog stories elevate the setPierre Novellie protests that life is getting harder for observational comedians because, in these siloed times, we have so …

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Rotus: Receptionist of the United States review – spiky Maga satire with a seriously funny star

Park theatre, LondonLeigh Douglas plays a sorority girl turned White House receptionist – as well as lecherous side characters – in a timely showThis show arrives in London in a week that US politics couldn’t be more inescapable. While on one hand, aud…

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‘I love that there’s this big gay thing in the middle of Scotland’: Ian McKellen and Graham Norton join Alan Cumming for Out in the Hills

New LGBTQ+ festival included McKellen in a fiery monologue and Norton in conversation, as well as a queer ceilidh and ‘kilted yoga’Sir Ian McKellen is on stage blowing up a red balloon. For a man of 86, he has impressive lung capacity. He lets it go an…

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Gerry & Sewell review – tragicomic search for a Newcastle United season ticket

Aldwych theatre, LondonJamie Eastlake’s play about two football fans mixes together song, dance, comedy and dark family drama, with incohesive resultsThis tale of two hard-up reprobates in Gateshead, who dream of getting a Newcastle United season ticke…

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Think panto season is behind you? Oh no it isn’t – some haven’t opened yet

A trip to the pantomime is a Christmas tradition but they also lift the January gloom and even run later in the yearThe Christmas decorations have been packed away, kids are back at school and new year resolutions are already forgotten. It’s the middle…

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‘It feels so taboo’: Natalie Palamides on playing both halves of a toxic couple and her shocking next show

From laying eggs on stage to coaching the Clintons in clowning, the LA performer is full of surprises. She talks about bringing back her rollercoaster solo romcom Weer and the new project that terrifies herShe’s the toast of Off-Broadway now but nothin…

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