Meg Stalter: Little Miss Ohio review – happy parade of hopeless wannabes

YouTubeIn Stalter’s sharply observed, bittersweet character comedy, a string of awkward talkative types bare their souls Disastrous for many comedians, lockdown has propelled others to prominence – notably, those who’d already made a home online. Meg S…

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Our comedy industry is in crisis – the government must act now to save it | Romesh Ranganathan

UK venues are in peril and standups can’t make a living if clubs are closed. Without support, we’ll lose talent as well as theatres I have fond memories of playing Southampton’s Nuffield theatre, which is now closing due to the pandemic – a fate likely…

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On my radar: Rachel Parris on her cultural highlights

The comedian and Mash Report star on Lemn Sissay’s memoir, Tank and the Bangas’ mindblowing hip-hop, and a very weird podcastComedian and musician Rachel Parris was born in 1984 in Leicester. She stars in BBC Two’s satirical news show The Mash Report, …

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Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon launches summer season of online comedy

The late-night hub is replacing its cancelled fringe programme with new virtual offerings alongside archive footage The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh’s uproarious palace of late-night comedy, has announced a season of work to replace its cancelled fringe p…

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Ready for a roasting? Inside Belfast’s standup scene

It’s the only place in the world where jokes about local councillors work. But is Belfast’s sharp-tongued comedy circuit becoming less hostile to outsiders?Patrick Kielty’s first Belfast standup set won him a keg of beer. It was freshers’ week 1989 at …

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As a kid I loved Pro Evolution Soccer 5 – now it’s won me a new comedy audience | Bilal Zafar

My standup career stalled when the pandemic arrived. But I get my kicks as a football manager on Twitch – and giving each player a storylineI began 2020 full of optimism, excited about returning to the Edinburgh fringe in August with a new show and fee…

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Can I go clubbing? Only in New Zealand! Your guide to easing and the arts

Are seatless, stroll-through shows the future of theatre? Can one-way dancing save nightclubs? Could budding indie bands storm Wembley stadium? Scientists imagine the arts after Covid-19The day before museums began closing in Britain, I saw Aubrey Bear…

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This week’s best culture at home, from Paul Weller to a new Rite of Spring

The Observer’s critics recommend the best art, theatre, music and more on TV and online this weekMusicPaul WellerDelayed by the pandemic, On Sunset finally comes out this week, offering both familiarity and experimentation from the restless, evergreen …

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‘There’s no such thing as a socially distanced mosh pit’: artists on the thrill of the crowd

Poet laureate Simon Armitage and comedian Lolly Adefope love the buzz of performance. Here’s what we’re all missingReady, steady… Oh: Olympics, Glastonbury and Euro 2020 stars on the summer we’ve lost There can be no such thing as a socially distance…

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Gina Yashere meets London Hughes: ‘America is super-racist but the glass ceiling is higher!’

In our series pairing veteran black artists with younger talents for a frank chat about their experiences, comedians Gina Yashere and London Hughes reveal why they both felt the need to quit Britain for the USBorn and raised in London, Gina Yashere, 46…

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