Comedy Reviews
John Bishop, O2 review - Everyman comedy with a hint of subversionMonday, 06 November 2017
John Bishop was last on tour three years ago and he tells us that this show, Winging It, was inspired by two things that happened in the intervening period. Not the obvious Brexit (although it does make an appearance), but in that time he has passed the 50 landmark and his three sons have all left home. Read more... |
Kerry Godliman, Touring review - affable and down-to-earth humourFriday, 20 October 2017
Kerry Godliman is such an affable and down-to-earth onstage presence that when she talks about whether she should move now that her area has upped and come – you can tell by the local baker making sourdough loaves – you think how much her neighbours would miss her. Read more... |
Mat Ewins, Soho Theatre review - multimedia show with twists in the taleMonday, 16 October 2017
Mat Ewins comes on stage with a bullet belt slung across his chest. Indiana Jones he ain't, but what follows is a spoof on that film genre, a convoluted narrative that makes little sense but has a large degree of bombast as the show's title, Mat Ewins: Presents Adventureman 7 – the Return of Adventureman, suggests. Read more... |
Ahir Shah, Soho Theatre - a bravura response to Brexit voteWednesday, 27 September 2017
There were a lot of shocked and disappointed people after the EU referendum last year and several comics have used the result to fashion some good comedy, delivering state-of-the-nation material in their shows. For Ahir Shah, though, the more he thought about the result, the more he took it personally. Read more... |
Mae Martin, Soho Theatre review - life is a drugTuesday, 19 September 2017
She’s only 30, but Mae Martin has been at this comedy lark for a long time. Read more... |
Edinburgh Festival and Fringe 2017 reviews round-upMonday, 21 August 2017
Wondering what on earth to choose between as you tramp the streets of the festival? These are our highlights so far. STANDUP Athenu Kugblenu, Underbelly Med Quad ★★★ Strong debut hour of political and identity comedy |
Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Ingrid Oliver / Darren Harriott / Jayde AdamsMonday, 21 August 2017
Ingrid Oliver ★★★★ Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Hannah Gadsby / Suzi Ruffell / Ivo Graham / Athena KugblenuThursday, 17 August 2017
Hannah Gadsby ★★★★ This is Hannah Gadsby's last show, she tells us. Not because she has stopped being funny (she most definitely hasn't, as the laugh count in this show attests), but because making comedy out of her life experience has become toxic for her. Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Tom Allen / Cally Beaton / Lauren Pattison / TrumpageddonTuesday, 15 August 2017
Tom Allen ★★★★ |
Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Kiri Pritchard-McLean / Dad's Army Radio Hour / Elliot SteelMonday, 14 August 2017
Kiri Pritchard-McLean ★★★★ Appropriate Adult has an unlikely subject for comedy – Kiri Pritchard-McLean's work with vulnerable teenagers. But it proves rich territory as she recounts her relationship with one in particular, 15-year-old “Harriet”. Don't worry, it doesn't pose an ethical issue, as the comic, rather than the child, is the butt of the jokes – of which there are plenty. Read more... |
Pages
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 10,000 pieces, we're asking for £3.95 per month or £30 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take an annual subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
latest in today
Kiss Me, Kate, Opera North, London Coliseum review - Cole Po...
First palpable hit of the evening: a full orchestra in the pit under hyper-alert...
theartsdesk on Vinyl 40: Talking Heads, Ornette Coleman, Cra...
Earlier this year, in May, Brighton hosted the Vinyl World Congress where Paul Pacifico, head of the Association of Independent Music, told the...
In The Fade review - twisty German courtroom drama
The Cannes jury in 2017 gave best actress to Diane Kruger for her performance in In the Fade. She plays Katja, who turns avenging angel...
David Byrne, Eventim Apollo review - twice in a lifetime?
Forgive the sports metaphor, but David Byrne knocked this one out of the park. Coming out of the concert at the...
The London Mastaba, Serpentine Galleries review - good news...
It’s not as immersive as New York’s The Gates, 2005, nor as magnificent as Floating Piers, 2016, in Italy’s Lake Iseo...
CD: Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch
Concluding a trilogy of releases that began with the EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017) – Bad...
The Rolling Stones, Twickenham Stadium review - until the ne...
Eel Pie, the tiny eyot in the Thames, is not too a long walk from Twickenham stadium – within hollering distance, almost, if you had that kind of...
theartsdesk at Leipzig's Blüthner Piano Factory - a per...
Have you ever wondered why the Steinway grand piano is invariably...
Natural World: The Super Squirrels, BBC Two review - silline...
Squirrels are a breed as diverse as they are ubiquitous: they inhabit environments as extreme as desert and tundra, and all the lush greenery,...
The Courtesan’s Gaze, Fieri Consort, Handel House review – h...
From an early age, Barbara Strozzi would have entertained the guests of her father’s Venetian academy with songs, including her own works. A...