The disabled Mexican-American scooped best newcomer at Edinburgh with her scathing send-up of identity politics. But can she really wring some laughs out of the end of the world? It would be…
Bloomsbury Theatre, LondonNo one rages against life and the world better than Brister, but the comic is too good to be confined by her furious persona Her touring show is called The Optimist…
Soho theatre, London The sparkling Aussie brings their award-winning Melbourne comedy festival show to the UK When Frankie McNair started taking comedy seriously, they tell us, it got boring…
Hampstead theatre, LondonAlexis Michalik's time-hopping French hit about the history of stage magic is a diverting jeu d'esprit but there isn't much to see once you look past the misdirectio…
The Welsh standup used to direct his fury at service stations, baked potatoes and the tog-rating of duvets. Now he's tackling anxiety, infertility " and his own battle with the cancer that s…
The US comedy sensation is making up for lost time after Covid with a new show " still self-obsessed, but 'a bit darker' " and an opportunity for us to observe a quintessentially millennial …
From dazzling comic debuts at the Edinburgh fringe to occult sketches, soul-searching standup and deeply strange revelations, it was a top year for laughing matters ' More on the best cultur…
Apollo theatre, LondonThe veteran illusionist outdoes himself with an evening of bewildering trickery that holds a mirror to our deepest feelings Having followed his stage work for years, I …
London PalladiumDawn French, Julian Clary and Alexandra Burke join an animatronic giant with a vast beanstalk in an innuendo-heavy, story-light show Pantos are usually cheap and cheerful, so…
Soho theatre, LondonWith his Scandi-nowhere accent and cool-dude aspirations, Archie Henderson's comic character is improbable, clever and very funny 'I'm in control," sings Jazz Emu, while …
Matthew Holness's fictional horror author is on the road reading from his novel " prepare to be terrified at the tills while we dream of his full return to the stage When is a show not a sho…
Once an under-the-radar live comedy jewel, Mohammed's alter-ego impresario is hogging the spotlight in two new stage shows. Is the character destined for TV? Any assessment of the best chara…
Apollo, ManchesterThere's ample room in comedy to tease at woke over-earnestness but this weak and boorish set fails to engage Ricky Gervais gives us a little lecture after curtain call toni…
Manchester ArenaAfter 12 years away from the stage, the slimmed-down entertainer is more unapologetically nostalgic than ever No hotcake ever sold in greater quantity than tickets for Peter…
Soho theatre, LondonEven when the grouchy wannabe game-show host's set is buffering he still delivers a winning formula of hi-tech comedy and twisty jokes In Danger Money, we find Mat Ewins …
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonA streetwise Jack sells his cow for a tin of baked beans in this sugar rush of a show, which is underpinned with an anti-greed moral about the collective good Your e…
Soho theatre, LondonThe tale of two 'mucky northern oiks' on a quest for success is less important than the joyful jokes, backchat and smutty puns en route The barely realised comic play, fo…
Dorking HallsPlayful material about Pascoe's life on the celebrity B-list is eclipsed by a heartfelt second act focused on private truths about new motherhood Sara Pascoe isn't the first com…
Hammersmith Apollo, LondonAfter his show was pulled from the Edinburgh fringe, the comic continues his efforts to outrage, resulting in deep discomfort as well as bleak brilliance "Winner of…
Cambridge JunctionThe political comedian's new touring show takes on Liz Truss and the Tories but too often swaps subtlety for stridency Mark Thomas's last show drew on his lifetime of polit…
Palace theatre, SouthendThe manic 35-year-old riffs on pregnancy, childbirth and how she can make the world a less sexist place for her 10-month-old daughter The comedian reconsidering her l…
The standup is returning to the stage to welcome us back into his lovably parochial world. But will we ever know the man behind the homely persona? It can't be easy to become the nation's fa…
Graham Fellows' film Father Earth records the Sheffield comedian's trip to Orkney with his dad " and a bid to step out of his alter ego's shadow When I last saw Graham Fellows in character a…
The Vaults, London Slapdash daftness propels Sleeping Trees' glam mashup of a Christmas show, though more risk-taking would summon the magic to really fly Sleeping Trees are known for their …
Soho theatre, LondonLyons raises her personal demons so she can publicly refuse to play by their rules in this complex comedy-horror crossover The eye-popping final sequence of Elf Lyons's R…