The fallen star, who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, is back in a Netflix special which has its moments but not enough of themLouis CK is back, again. It’s been nearly a decade since the comedian, actor and writer-director admitted his guilt …
Continue ReadingElf Lyons mixes humour and heartbreak, Frank Skinner works the crowd, Kristen Schaal returns with a secret – and one man sings the same song over and over againNo fringe festival has been complete in recent years without some oddball clown confection –…
Continue ReadingThe actor’s sophisticated sense of humour and natural ability to make everyone laugh were there long before her famous sitcom rolesA life in picturesPenelope Keith: the most spectacular sitcom snob ever to grace our screensPenelope Keith, who has died …
Continue ReadingWatford Palace theatreThere’s plenty of devilment as the Pennsylvanian flies the flag for the magnificence of women and riffs on pregnancyThe Best Job in the World, Michelle Wolf’s touring show is called. Whether that refers to motherhood (chief among …
Continue ReadingLeeds PlayhouseIn a cavernous venue seemingly designed for a colliery-based story, Amy Leach directs Paul Allen’s adaptation of the 1996 filmIt’s odd that this most Yorkshire of stories has never been staged at Leeds Playhouse. That’s remedied with gri…
Continue ReadingLyric Hammersmith, London Four siblings squabble over an art treasure possibly stolen by their grandfather in this riotous play by Ben OckrentBen Ockrent’s black comedy about a family in mourning has distinct strains of the ludicrous, though the cartoo…
Continue ReadingApollo theatre, LondonStephen Mangan, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O’Hanlon and Janie Dee are seat-shakingly funny in this study of adulteryAlice and Michel must conceal their affair from possibly suspicious spouses Paul and Laurence, sometimes under detective…
Continue ReadingLyttelton theatre, LondonHeroic but imperfect modern-day version of the 17th-century classic is stuffed full of debates about how we might live differentlyMolière’s misanthrope here is a bestselling writer in a stylish trouser suit, gender-reversed as …
Continue ReadingThe Traitors-winning standup talks about quitting palliative care work for the stage and the dangers of mistaking a cockatoo for a cocktailHow did you go from a career in palliative care to standup comedy?I had a bit of a midlife crisis. I was being wi…
Continue ReadingPitlochry Festival theatreWriter Douglas Maxwell’s playful conceit sparks a funny and superbly acted exploration of messy relationships There is a clever conceit underlying Douglas Maxwell’s sparky romantic comedy. It imagines the possibility of a sexu…
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