He has made a career out of winding people up in everything from The Office to his Golden Globes speeches – but is the comedian’s bark worse than his bite?Ricky Gervais’s assistant leads me past a huge, empty room to the top floor of an office above a …
Continue ReadingChaotic life, lots of sex, little sense of purpose … the Anglo-Aussie’s hilarious takedown of Fleabag and the booming ‘messy-woman genre’ was halted by Covid. Now, after a year and a half of worry, it’s finally backGiven the content of her smash-hit co…
Continue ReadingWhether it’s a Spielberg musical, a global photography prize or a comedy Christmas show, our critics have your plans for the week coveredWest Side StoryOut nowSteven Spielberg takes on the classic musical (above), pitting Sharks against Jets in 1950s N…
Continue ReadingBrighton DomeThe comedy writers behind one of the BBC’s most successful series perform an entertaining, behind-the-scenes double act ‘If you’re going to cry, cry tears of laughter,” they sing. “Your funny bone can never break in two.” The lyrics are fr…
Continue ReadingPinpoint parodies of ‘weird church ladies and soccer moms’ made the Ohio comic famous during the pandemic – even if progressives mistake her for the real thingMegan Stalter put a video online recently of a churchgoer from the US midwest distressed to b…
Continue ReadingThe prominent critics of ‘cancel culture’ received nominations for best spoken word album and best comedy album, respectivelyControversial comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis CK, who have both forcefully decried so-called “cancel culture”, have received…
Continue ReadingMenier Chocolate Factory, LondonThe misadventures of a hapless hero led astray by his false friend are funny but don’t quite fill three dimensionsThere was a setback last month for this play inspired by a hit podcast when co-writer and performer Harry …
Continue ReadingTaskmaster’s creator is happy to belt out a tune when fronting the Horne Section. But what’s on his stereo when there’s no one around to judge him?The Loco-Motion by Kylie Minogue. My brother and I were both big Kylie fans and I still stand by it: she’…
Continue ReadingWhether it is epic sci-fi, hilarious standup or a new album to listen to, our critics have your plans for this week coveredBigfoot HuntersOut nowHarking back to the days when first-time directors would borrow a camcorder and make an essentially zero-bu…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonKingsman spoofs the look-at-me egotism that sometimes animates solo shows, as she heaps meta layer upon layer in a tour de forceIt seems like five minutes ago that Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag was show-of-the-moment at this venue….
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