Wilton’s Music Hall, LondonA transatlantic voyage in 1910, with the silent stars onboard, is the basis of Told By An Idiot’s beguiling comedyCharlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel shared a boat from the UK to New York in 1910, as part of Fred Karno’s music ha…
Continue ReadingHis influence is everywhere – but is the great, groundbreaking comedian being forgotten? Twenty-five years after his death, we reassess his impact The reports of Peter Cook’s death on 9 January 1995 had no difficulty arriving at a consensus about him, …
Continue ReadingLIVR allows subscribers to catch up on theatre in 360-degree virtual reality. How does it compare with the fringe experience?I’m having a beer and enjoying an Edinburgh fringe show from the front row. But I’m on the sofa rather than a folding chair, th…
Continue ReadingTom Stoppard gets personal, Cush Jumbo does Hamlet, Hollywood names bring everything from tragedy to comedy … plus dance confronts shame and there’s standup open heart surgery Related: Enter stage right: 12 theatre stars for 2020 Related: Vault festiv…
Continue ReadingLondon’s eight-week underground arts fest returns to Waterloo and the South Bank in January. Here’s a dozen picks to get started …James McNicholas: The Boxer30-31 JanuaryThe former Beasts sketch comic should have been a contender for the 2019 Edinburgh…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonEll Potter and Mary Higgins radically push on from previous show Hotter, in this fantastic, sexy, athletic examination of male identity Hilarious, sincere, sexy and brutal, Fitter is a deep-throated examination into modern masculini…
Continue ReadingTell us about your standout stage show of the year – we’ll feature a selection of your favourites later this monthWhat was your favourite theatre, comedy or dance show of the year? Please briefly explain why (250 words max) by filling in the form below…
Continue ReadingVaults, LondonZoe Lyons is a pyjama-clad deity with wrath-management issues and a retinue of doubtful angels in David Javerbaum’s enjoyable comedyIt began as a Twitter account, which begat a book, which begat a Broadway show, in which God descended amo…
Continue ReadingThe Guardian’s theatre critic was at the sketch group’s first show in 1960. It was the beginning of a friendship … and a satire boom that changed the worldMy first sighting of Jonathan Miller was at the Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh in August 1960. I was…
Continue ReadingTransgressive, intimidating and smeared with ketchup, the performer loves to give audiences more than they’ve bargained for – from an X-rated Jesus to a bare BoudiccaLucy McCormick pulls her elbow back and closes her left eye. Whoosh, twang, thud: the …
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