Lily Savage, The League of Gentlemen, Fleabag and a host of telly sensations started out on tiny stages at the extravaganza. In its absence, who will be next?Paul O’Grady’s first night at the Edinburgh fringe did not go according to plan. He made his f…
Continue ReadingCovid-19 has cancelled the annual jamboree, leaving performers – and our comedy critic – bereft. What does the festival mean to them and how will it change?Meeting Flight of the Conchords and seeing the teenage Bo Burnham. Improvising a musical with Ti…
Continue ReadingVikki Stone and Natasha Barnes’s new show celebrates comic songs for actresses – here are their favourites from musicalsFrom Sweeney Todd by Stephen SondheimMrs Lovett is the sort of role that every actress (including me) hopes they’ll play one day. Th…
Continue ReadingVikki Stone and Natasha Barnes’s new show celebrates comic songs for actresses – here are their favourites from musicalsFrom Sweeney Todd by Stephen SondheimMrs Lovett is the sort of role that every actress (including me) hopes they’ll play one day. Th…
Continue ReadingWith the reopening of indoor venues delayed, it’s open season for outdoor performances with companies heading out into the sunshineIf you want to watch live theatre in the UK, you currently have two options: go online or into the great outdoors. With s…
Continue ReadingFor years, sexual predators have infested the live comedy scene. But female comedians are demanding action. Is this British standup’s #MeToo moment?‘If this was a normal office where, on your first day, someone higher up than you goes: ‘Here’s a list o…
Continue ReadingWith this year’s Edinburgh festival cancelled, performers including Sara Pascoe, Deborah Frances-White and Gary McNair will be broadcasting live from the tiniest of venuesIt started as a throwaway pun. With the Edinburgh festival cancelled by Covid-19,…
Continue ReadingTristram Kenton’s photographs have accompanied reviews in the Guardian for more than 30 years. Ahead of a series of themed galleries, we open up his archive with 40 fabulous shots Continue reading…
Continue ReadingWhen you’ve shared jokes since childhood, you can be brutally honest with each other. Flo & Joan and Ruby Wax’s daughters, Maddy and Marina Bye, on becoming family double acts They’ve been described as “the other popular comedy duo” from TV’s golde…
Continue ReadingIn the final part of our series, UK arts figures give the lowdown on the precious places that nurtured their careers‘I’ve wrestled, climbed the walls and got a black eye there’Robert Softley Gale is the artistic director of Birds of Paradise.Laura Carm…
Continue Reading