wed 29/05/2024

Comedy Reviews

John Bishop, O2 review - Everyman comedy with a hint of subversion

Veronica Lee

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 humour

Veronica Lee

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 tale

Veronica Lee

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 vote

Veronica Lee

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 drug

Veronica Lee

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-up

theartsdesk

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

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Ingrid Oliver / Darren Harriott / Jayde Adams

Veronica Lee

Ingrid Oliver ★★★★ 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Hannah Gadsby / Suzi Ruffell / Ivo Graham / Athena Kugblenu

Veronica Lee

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 / Trumpageddon

Veronica Lee

 

Tom Allen 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2017 reviews: Kiri Pritchard-McLean / Dad's Army Radio Hour / Elliot Steel

Veronica Lee

 

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

 

latest in today

The Harmony Test, Hampstead Theatre review - pregnancy and p...

“Welcome to motherhood, bitch!” By the time a character delivers this reality check, there have been plenty of laughs, and some much more awkward...

The Lovely Eggs, XOYO, Birmingham review - Lancashire duo br...

When the Lovely Eggs’ married duo of Holly Ross and David Blackwell took to the stage at the recently rebranded XOYO in Birmingham on Bank Holiday...

Album: Bat For Lashes - The Dream of Delphi

Natasha Khan’s musical career has always explored the artier end of...

Bluets, Royal Court review - more grey than ultramarine

When does creativity become mannered? When it’s based on repetition, and repetition without development. About halfway through star director Katie...

Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2024 review - curator Steve...

“Saint-Saëns: The Renaissance Man” proclaimed the big screen at the first remarkable programme I attended within the 2024 Sheffield Chamber Music...

Blu-ray: Two Films by Yasujirō Ozu

It’s interesting to discover that sound wasn’t the norm in Japanese...

Sphinx Organization, Wigmore Hall review - black performers...

Kudos to the Wigmore Hall for continuing to make efforts to diversify its roster of performers and repertoire. Last year I reviewed the...

Travels Over Feeling: The Music of Arthur Russell, Barbican...

Last night’s Travels Over Feeling: The Music of Arthur Russell (a concert in part accompanying the recent publication of a book about his...

Album: Richard Thompson - Ship to Shore

Any Richard Thompson appearance comes with a hallmark guaranteeing quality produce – be that an album or a stage show. 

...