On the Australian leg of his tour, Ansari shows vulnerability in addressing allegations made against him. But there is unease and defensiveness tooBefore attending Aziz Ansari’s show in Melbourne this week, I had read that his latest standup tour, Road…
Continue ReadingLondon PalladiumThe exhilarating comedian known for her hit Netflix series puts on an addictive night of comedy and songAmerican comedian Rachel Bloom gets musical theatre tropes drunk and horny. The Golden Globe-winning writer and star of Netflix’s mu…
Continue ReadingThe US standup and Saturday Night Live writer on the things that make her laugh the mostBigger & Blacker by Chris Rock is high on the list. The “niggas v black people” joke is my favourite of Rock’s. So poignant, and really changed the conversation…
Continue ReadingBournemouth International CentreCasting himself as a taboo breaker for his Netflix show Supernature, the cacklesome comic delivers a squarely liberal-baiting set‘That’s not going in … That won’t make it in … ” Ricky Gervais’s new standup set Supernat…
Continue ReadingSpeaking at Hay festival, comedian recalls a charity event where a man forced his tongue into her mouthJo Brand has spoken of the need to maintain the momentum of the #MeToo movement despite the fact that some people are “fed up with it already”, recal…
Continue ReadingThe standup comedian and CBeebies star on the things that make him laugh the mostI am blind, and I once walked into the undertaker’s believing it to be the barber’s next door. The undertaker asked if he could help me, and I asked him if he had many wai…
Continue ReadingThe Grand, Clapham, London The Inbetweeners’ actor gears up for her 30s with a look back at her regrets and a plea for us all to be nicer to one anotherEmily Atack isn’t your regular standup. Despite selling out a cross-country tour, this is the first …
Continue ReadingThe Stay Awake party, the polling station in an area populated by lions … on the eve of results in India, Anuvab Pal reveals how the biggest election in history – with 900 million voters – is comedy goldI sit down to read the Indian Express and come ac…
Continue ReadingAlexandra Palace theatre, LondonIn Facing the Beast, the US comic offers an erratic hour of uncharitable observations and forced ‘edge’As he mentions several times during his latest show, Facing the Beast, US standup Reginald D Hunter is struggling to …
Continue ReadingAssembly Hall theatre, Tunbridge WellsThere may be a weary air to some of the obligatory scripted smut, but Clary’s affectionate put-downs remain acutely calibrated A week shy of his 60th birthday, Julian Clary opens his new show, Born to Mince, with a…
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