‘Lying for the laugh’: should comedians tell us the truth?

The controversy over Hasan Minhaj’s onstage storytelling was a sign of the shifting demands placed on standup comicsNo one gets into standup comedy expecting a routine factcheck. But that’s what happened when a September profile of Hasan Minhaj in the …

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The best theatre, dance and comedy tickets to book in 2024

The new year’s hottest shows include stage versions of Minority Report, Spirited Away and La Strada, performances by Keeley Hawes and Ian McKellen – plus laughs from Julia Masli, Rhod Gilbert and Ania Magliano• More from the 2024 culture preview Contin…

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‘I can be quite well behaved’: Frank Skinner on standup, rude jokes and what the kids got right

Comedian Frank Skinner is preparing to unleash his new standup show – and this time he says he’s cleaning up his actFrank Skinner has been up since 7.23am. “I don’t like dictatorial twelfths,” he says, showing me the list of alarms on his phone: 6.57am…

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The best theatre, comedy and dance of 2023

Our critics’ highlights of the year include a 24-hour marathon, a standup welcoming hecklers, a reboot of The Matrix and a bus ride filled with emotion• More on the best culture of 202310. Standing at the Sky’s EdgeOne iconic housing estate in Sheffiel…

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The best theatre, comedy and dance of 2023

Our critics’ highlights of the year include a 24-hour marathon, a standup welcoming hecklers, a reboot of The Matrix and a bus ride filled with emotion• More on the best culture of 202310. Standing at the Sky’s EdgeOne iconic housing estate in Sheffiel…

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The Horne Section’s Christmas Shindig review – peas and harmony from Taskmaster star

Indigo at the O2, LondonAlex Horne’s musical comedy band serve up peachy and puerile puns in an endearing, occasionally festive showThe Horne Section. A Christmas show. You can see the logic. They’re a jolly bunch, Alex Horne is forever pulling goodies…

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The Horne Section’s Christmas Shindig review – peas and harmony from Taskmaster star

Indigo at the O2, LondonAlex Horne’s musical comedy band serve up peachy and puerile puns in an endearing, occasionally festive showThe Horne Section. A Christmas show. You can see the logic. They’re a jolly bunch, Alex Horne is forever pulling goodies…

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Ania Magliano: ‘I have quite a lot of jokes about men being violent. There’s a dark undercurrent’

The comedian has turned her traumatic experiences into an Edinburgh comedy awards-nominated show – with a little help from a Thai boxing retreat and a botched haircutI’m with the comedian Ania Magliano for the afternoon. First, a cup of chai latte (“I’…

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‘I experienced everyday sexism while reading Everyday Sexism’: how Katie Arnstein turns anger into laughs

She started out doing panto tours of northern garden centres. But Arnstein is now emerging as a thrilling performer, turning the shocks of her life – sexual harassment, her mum’s cancer – into bracing solo showsKatie Arnstein greets you at her theatre …

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Pandemonium review – Armando Iannucci’s furiously funny takedown of No 10

Soho theatre, LondonBoris Johnson and his successors Less Trust and Riches Sooner are satirised in a superb political pantomime directed by Patrick MarberKeenly anticipated since its summer announcement, Pandemonium finds the last seven years of Britis…

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