The standup on finding a good preshow pint, getting heckled and reflecting on the death of his brother in Tragedy Plus TimeCan you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?A corporate gig for a financial reporting company. It was so bad, I was supposed to d…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonAcross 75 haywire minutes, Zach Zucker’s variety show features fire-breathing, copious nudity and superb performances from acts including Natalie Palamides‘It’s taken us 60 minutes to bring on stage a single comedian!” The variety n…
Continue ReadingLara Ricote is among the standups whose gags have landed with deaf and hearing people thanks to the work of stenographer Claire HillWhen Lara Ricote watches fellow comedians’ gigs, she likes to be near the stage. “I tend to sit in the front row – readi…
Continue ReadingIt is one of the most electrifying and unsettling sounds in theatre. Should we be encouraging crowds to do it more? Experts tell us about booing’s origins – and actors remember being on the receiving end of audience outragePanto season is just about ov…
Continue ReadingThe US standup’s career was in its ascendancy before miscarriage and then a friend’s death knocked her for six. So she took stock – and turned her feelings into a show contextualising loss and life, before finding a happy endingJanine Harouni arrives a…
Continue ReadingIn their new shows, anarchic theatre company Spymonkey and sketch duo Max and Ivan place the spotlight on their own lives more than ever beforeIf you’re making comedy, or funny theatre, what’s the last thing you should include in your show? For years –…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonThis quartet – familiar from Veep, SNL and Second City – respond well to audience suggestions but keep rebooting the process rather than delivering a full storyAs anyone who’s seen the great TJ & Dave at this venue can testify, …
Continue ReadingHer midnight agony aunt clown show became the hot ticket of the fringe – despite the fact that the Estonian never regarded herself as a comic. In fact, she says, she much prefers making audiences cry‘But it’s a serious show!!!” tweeted Julia Masli when…
Continue ReadingThe comedian, whose new show draws on his experience of surviving a brain tumour, on finding humour in adversity, working with Ridley Scott, and why his scar won’t be hidden for longLondon-born Miles Jupp, 44, began performing comedy while studying div…
Continue ReadingNetflix’s latest specials show two once-funny comedians continuing to punch down in a desperate quest for relevanceThe funniest part of Dave Chappelle’s new special The Dreamer comes right at the top, and not on purpose.In high-grain black-and-white, w…
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