Royal Exchange theatre, ManchesterSparring lovers play a capricious game in Blanche McIntyre’s revival – but the cut and thrust is kept witty, rather than curdling into dangerIn director Blanche McIntyre’s take on Private Lives, love is a dizzying thin…
Continue ReadingSam Browne’s blend of brutal honesty and droll observation has made him a viral sensation. He talks about growing up in Southend, mental health and the healing power of poetryOn a cold night in east London, 21-year-old performance poet Sam Browne is te…
Continue ReadingMelbourne international comedy festivalThis funny, thoughtful show is a gentle nudge to think about history’s sidelined women and embrace the nerdiest parts of yourself• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIn their latest standup show God’s Favo…
Continue ReadingBarbican Centre, LondonFrom Stavros to Wayne Slob, Loadsamoney to DJ Dave Nice, the 64-year-old distilled whole characters and social typesTo younger audiences, Harry Enfield may be best known for his Prince-turned-King Charles in Channel 4 satirical s…
Continue ReadingBristol Old VicThe Reduced Shakespeare Company returns with a frantic mix of pratfalls, audience participation and lightning-flash characterisationsA classical actor who appeared in a recent production of Othello told me that the cast was alarmed by th…
Continue ReadingAfter years of skits and Shakespeare, the Black Country performer has found his biggest audience yet on Saturday Night Live UK. Phil Wang and others hail his ‘pure comedic instinct’A cast of unknowns, they keep saying about Saturday Night Live UK, whos…
Continue ReadingThe comedian on learning from Stewart Lee, forging gags from chats with friends and his niche joke about Magic FMWho did you look up to when you were starting out as a comedian?I wanted to learn everything at once, so I found as many DVDs and videos of…
Continue ReadingComedy duo will take the stage together in the West End for the first time in 17 years in Cinderella alongside Julian ClaryDawn French and Jennifer Saunders are to return to the stage together for the first time in 17 years to play the Ugly Sisters in …
Continue ReadingBrighton Corn Exchange The fantastically confident standup is a blast from the start with her takes on menopause, parenting and her upbringingModel, actor, journalist, comedian: no doubting Michelle De Swarte is a jack of all trades, but is she a maste…
Continue ReadingA turd-hurling incident set comedian Rowan Thambar on a path to find out what makes good neighbours – by inviting people to document the good, bad and ugly of their own experiencesLast year I saw my neighbour throw dog poo at a man. It happened while m…
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