2,086 stories by "Brian Logan"
Giggle your way through spring with Jeff Garlin (AKA Jeff Greene, Larry David's manager in Curb Your Enthusiasm), Dom Joly and Irish New Yorker Des BishopDes BishopMy Dad Was Nearly Jam…
Young Vic, LondonAn international hit since its 2007 Abbey Theatre debut, Mark O'Rowe's Terminus has found favour in most quarters " save, I suspect, the Dublin tourist board. Its account of…
From Flight of the Conchords to French and Saunders, single-sex double acts are everywhere " but Frisky and Mannish show that more should cross the gender divideWhat's distinctive about Fris…
Leicester Square theatre, LondonTonight sees bilious US comic Doug Stanhope at his best and worst. When his scorn and loathing is intelligently applied, he tears away the veil of socialised …
Blackfriars, GlasgowOne of a clutch of young US comics appearing at Glasgow's comedy festival, Lee Camp is from the Al Franken tradition: an impeccably liberal standup and contributor to the…
The Broadway, BarkingGreg Davies has little to fear from the slings and arrows of showbiz, having worked as a schoolteacher for 12 years. When you've had "Mr Davies is a bell-end" scrawled o…
The Cresset, PeterboroughEd Byrne is an anagram of Be Nerdy, the Irish standup tells us, and he's most effective when following that directive to the letter. A veteran observational sta…
When six BBC radio presenters tried their hand at standup for the first time, were the results funny or farcical?Watching amateur standup is revealing. A month ago, I went to the Comedy Stor…
Soho Theatre, London"Anyone else here prepared to admit that they're " not the best?", Zoe Lyons inquires. At almost 40 and with little to show for it " at least according to her introductor…
Standup (usually) makes us laugh " but is it right for a charity to provide comedy lessons to people with mental health problems?Does comedy make you sad, or happy? Two recent stories from t…
Nathaniel Mellors's latest exhibition makes mainstream sitcom look highly conventionalEleven years ago, the double act Noble and Silver won the Perrier best newcomer award. I was a big fan o…
'Should I give away punchlines in my reviews?'I reviewed the comedian Paul Sinha a fortnight ago, and sparked a conversation on the Guardian website (and on Sinha's blog) about the…
Orchard, DartfordSo Jim Davidson writes a play about a bigoted comedian and concludes that " well, I never! " within his breast beats a heart of gold. Stand Up and Be Counted isn't so much a…
Soho theatre, LondonGermany's self-styled "comedy ambassador" to Britain has a high-status routine that trades on his country's supposed superiority. It's an amusing shtick, which Wehn pulle…
Soho theatre, LondonPaul Sinha's show takes its name, Extreme Anti-White Vitriol, from an accusation levelled at the British Asian comic by the deputy chairman of the BNP. At times, one wish…
Heritage entertainment develops historical accuracy at Hampton Court this week, as learning-disabled actors play Tudor jestersThere are several things one might expect of a visit to Hampton …
Hexagon, ReadingBack in standup after moonlighting as Othello in the West End, Lenny Henry confronts a green-eyed monster of his own in his new show. The jealousy is directed at Luther Vandr…
Lyric theatre, LondonForty years after BBC radio's Round the Horne, comedians with that surname still can't resist telling the joke they were born with. That's not the only thing unchanged a…
Soho theatre, LondonWhat kind of comedian uses Leonard Cohen for his intro music? Not one bent on spreading complacent good cheer, but that's never been Simon Munnery's stock-in-trade. This …
South Street, ReadingDid you know that the Israel-Palestine separation wall is twice as long as the actual border? And that its route purposefully slices off 9% of the West Bank's territory?…
Bloomsbury theatre, LondonWith a starring role in the award-winning church sitcom Rev, Miles Jupp knows all about devotion. But it's cricket, not God, to which Jupp genuflects…
Leicester Square theatre, London"Guardian readers might crap into their lentils," brays the publicity for this would-be diabolical cabaret, staged weekly in the theatre's basement …
Hoxton Hall, LondonThere's no shame in falling asleep at the theatre; we've all done it. But under a quilt? Different rules apply at the Improvathon, an extemporised entertainment endurance …
'Would you heckle an armed robber?'Have you heard that financial fraudster Bernie Madoff is playing bassoon for the London Philharmonic Orchestra? Or that Kanye West has pulled on a pai…
Readers have been inspired by an interview with comedians Tim Vine and Milton Jones to send in their own (and others) quick-fire witWhen I interviewed comic Tim Vine for an article this week…
