Edinburgh international festival announces citywide Ghost Lights celebration

The festival will roll out a series of ‘artistic interventions’ across the Scottish capital in AugustA series of “artistic interventions” has been announced by the Edinburgh international festival (EIF) to take place across the Scottish capital in Augu…

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‘I’d love to see their parents’ bank accounts’: corona and comedy’s class divide

From care work to shelf-stacking, many standups have taken up jobs to survive lockdown – highlighting how privilege has created a two-tier system in comedyOn 16 March, when Boris Johnson advised people to avoid pubs and theatres, the effect on live com…

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Sacha Dhawan to star as a standup in Nikesh Shukla’s lockdown drama

Yash Gill’s Power Half Hour, directed by Milli Bhatia, is among a new batch of Virtual Collaborators films released this weekWith comedy clubs closed by the coronavirus lockdown, many standups have been experimenting with streaming their performances o…

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Comedian formerly known as Hugo Boss changes name back to Joe Lycett

The TV host, who changed his name to protest the fashion brand’s heavy-handed legal action, has decided to ‘go back to the Lycetts’The comedian formerly named Joe Lycett is now once more named Joe Lycett as his brief spell as Hugo Boss has come to an e…

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Seriously funny: political comedians on humour in horrific times

The Mash Report has always turned tough topics into comedy. As it returns in lockdown, host Nish Kumar and standups Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Tom Mayhew talk about satire’s role in a crisisWhen Nish Kumar’s political comedy show The Mash Report returne…

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Home fooling: Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s virtual comedy club

The standup’s Saturday gigs have quickly become a fixture on the online circuit – and raised £20,000 for the Trussell TrustThe next time standup Kiri Pritchard-McLean goes on tour, she may well include a virtual gig among her UK dates. That’s a sign of…

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Edinburgh’s August festivals cancelled due to coronavirus

Fringe joins international, book and art festivals and military tattoo in pulling plugEdinburgh absence will be felt throughout arts worldCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEdinburgh’s five August festivals, which were due to w…

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From standup to the Sistine chapel: the best online culture for self-isolation

The coronavirus crisis has closed galleries and concert halls – but inspired an explosion of creativity to enjoy at home. Here’s some of the best The best theatre and dance to watch onlineThe best classical music onlineGreat livestreamed gigs to watch …

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Imagine all the standups: Gal Gadot video mocked by comics

Actor’s earnest re-creation of John Lennon classic draws satirical response from all-star lineup of comics fronted by Joe Lycett In times of crisis a celebrity viral video can unite us either through joy or ridicule. Judi Dench’s cheery message to keep…

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Jon Culshaw to play Bill Bryson in Notes from a Small Island adaptation

Dead Ringers impressionist takes lead role in stage version of bestselling book on British identityThe impressionist Jon Culshaw is to play Bill Bryson in a new stage adaptation of Notes from a Small Island, the Iowa-born author’s bestselling book abou…

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