Soho theatre, LondonLenoir's mischievous charm is infectious, and she plays with skill on the heartstrings and funny bones Clowning may be silly, but it is seldom, these days, insubstantial.…
We need to keep open offbeat DIY spaces that belong to artists and communities. Even if the odd performance sells zero tickets, they push theatre forward It feels like a lifetime ago. In 201…
The American humorist delighted the Royal Festival Hall with characteristically disgruntled slices of life " including a brush with cancel culture In years to come, I can tell the grandkids …
The cult heroes are back with their 'best sketches ever'. After success with Ladhood, Stath Lets Flats and Parlement, are they still hoping for that elusive Sheeps TV series? Fifteen years i…
From performing in a bin to arm-wrestling rivals, the standup cut his teeth at a Nottingham pub's chaotic Just the Tonic nights. As the thriving comedy club chain it grew into turns 30, he r…
Culden Faw Estate, Henley-on-ThamesThe Scottish clown and his pals have taken over in a family caper combining comedy, slapstick, dropped plates and acrobatic skills Tweedy's MASSIVE Circus …
A one-woman 90s romcom, boundary-testing standups and a new Taskmaster contestant make our comedy critic's list of the fringe's most promising tickets Olga Koch stepped into the big league a…
Hackney Empire, London Well-spun jokes and great audience rapport elevate the comedian's show above standard fall-guy fare, though slick management inhibits its spark How good can standup be…
Soho theatre, London She's a convivial host, but 70 minutes of shops chat, family home videos and the odd song about our comic's love life may leave you eyeing the exit Many is the standup …
Comedians are increasingly leaning on audience interaction to sell their shows " and changing the nature of the shows themselves Crowd work. For some, it's the fun bit when standups cruise …
Hackney Empire, LondonThe east Londoner's show majors in blunt putdowns of anything the ebullient standup finds to be up-itself or overrated "I'm doing alright for myself, gang!" That's quit…
Soho theatre, LondonHalf musical comedy, half party, Archie Henderson's show ranges far and wide over the travails of his slinky singer vying for a knighthood It's the Royal Variety Performa…
Soho theatre, LondonThe daffy duo follow up their westerns parody Cowboys with a silly but still oddly respectful musical-comedy about their grandads' generation It's quite the pivot going f…
Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe Mash Report comedian's material on middle age is sharp but it's her political musical numbers that really hit home If life begins at 40, where does that l…
Soho theatre, LondonThe comic traces a path from Arizona to Manhattan with a musical set that never quite lands The comedian as self-fascinated ego-monster is quite the pose these days. Kate…
Apollo theatre, London John Cleese's transposition of his TV sitcom to the theatre has pitch perfect performances, but it never quite becomes a play What should we hope for when TV hits of y…
Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Art, at the Arcola in London, tackles freedom of expression " with particular focus on Gaza Arts Council England unleashed fury in Februar…
Cliffs Pavilion, SouthendNow free of cancer, Gilbert looks back on his illness with a characteristic mixture of emotional candour and uproarious humour A standup show about cancer? It's a fa…
Marylebone theatre, LondonKiell Smith-Bynoe and Martha Howe-Douglas ably embody Gogol's schemers, but this show doesn't hit any 21st-century targets You can see why, in 2024, one might reviv…
The 1975 tour documentary Big Banana Feet captures a comic growing into his extraordinary talents " and adjusting to unprecedented fame In an age where our every selfie, photogenic breakfast…
Colchester Arts CentreThe comedian's rightwing alter egos have not yet evolved beyond the two-dimensional in this droll but conventional set It's lovely to be here in Colchester, says Rosie …
Cliffs Pavilion, SouthendThe standup delivers an unstructured show with autobiographical anecdotes and routines about henpecked husbands and women called Fanny How hard should a comedian try…
Soho theatre, LondonA lesser act might have struggled to follow the brilliant Sydnee Washington, but Faustin's swaggering, gossipy shtick is superb Has Marie Faustin blundered? Support acts …
Underbelly Boulevard, LondonThere are shocks aplenty as daredevils perform death-defying acts hair-raisingly close to the audience Circus used to happen in big tops. The Underbelly Boulevard…
Brighton DomeRanganathan's Hustle delivers laughs, but not the shock of the new. It is at its best when we glimpse something meaningful beneath the standard-issue curmudgeonliness 'I'll be h…