wed 21/05/2025

Comedy Reviews

Edinburgh Fringe 2023 reviews: Krystal Evans / William Thompson / Alison Spittle

Veronica Lee

Krystal Evans, Monkey Barrel @The Hive 

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Edinburgh Fringe 2023 reviews: Ania Magliano / Elliot Steel / Alexandra Haddow

Veronica Lee

Ania Magliano, Pleasance Courtyard

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Edinburgh Fringe 2023 reviews: Ed Byrne / Fiona Allen / Kieran Hodgson

Veronica Lee

Ed Byrne Assembly Rooms

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Urooj Ashfaq, Soho Theatre review - assured UK debut by Mumbai stand-up

Veronica Lee

It's takes a confident comic performing only her second show in English – her second language – to joke near the top of the hour: “I didn't know I wasn't as funny in English.” Urooj Ashfaq also told us she would get upset if the audience didn't like her – but she shouldn't worry. Her confidence proved to be justified.

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The Crown Jewels, Garrick Theatre review - star laden comedy fails to sparkle

Gary Naylor

At first, it’s hard to believe that the true story of Colonel Blood’s audacious attempt to steal The Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in 1671 has not provided the basis for a play before. After two hours of Simon Nye’s pedestrian telling of the tale as a comedy, you have your answer.

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Josh Pugh Live at Birmingham Town Hall review - observational gags with a touch of the surreal

Veronica Lee

Josh Pugh made quite an impression at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, where he was deservedly nominated for best show in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards with Sausage, Egg, Josh Pugh, Chips and Beans. In this special YouTube version, recorded at Birmingham Town Hall, he reprises that performance.

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Amy Schumer, Netflix Special review - New York smarts about being a fortysomething

Veronica Lee

Amy Schumer opens Emergency Contact,  her latest Netflix Special, by asking a young woman in the front row how old she is. When the answer comes back as “27”, the New York comic has found the perfect segue into material about being 42 and feeling her age.

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Theatre at Glastonbury Festival 2023 - so big and wild a hallucination, you're always left wanting more

Anya Ryan

And that’s it again for another year. Oh Glastonbury. A fever dream where the time of reality stops as you hop on a ride to a land of magic.

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John Kearns, Brighton Komedia review - Van Gogh, joining the circus and pooey nappies

Veronica Lee

John Kearns' comedy is what you might call niche; absurdist, surrealist, poetic – they all apply, underlined by his onstage uniform, or “mask”, of tonsure wig and oversize false teeth. 

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Phil Wang, RFH review - smut and smarts

Veronica Lee

Phil Wang has an interesting background: he has a Chinese-Malaysian father and a white English mother, was born in the UK, and spent his childhood in Malaysia before returning to the UK at 16. His comedy has always mined this rich seam, and now in his latest touring show, Wang in There, Baby!, he mines it a bit more with his opening gags.

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