Comedy Reviews
A Christmas Carol-ish, Soho Theatre review - Mr Swallow causes havoc againThursday, 15 December 2022
At this time of year you can't move for productions of A Christmas Carol, Dickens' seasonal morality tale. Some are brilliant, some so-so, but this one by the power-crazed impresario Mr Swallow, whose ambition always exceeds his talent, is a joy. Read more... |
Tom Ward, Brighton Komedia review - offbeat observational gagsMonday, 12 December 2022
Tom Ward does his audience research at the top of the show, asking fairly mundane questions about their ages and where they live before he poses an unexpectedly pointed “Who is in an open relationship?” It's the beat before “They're aware of...” that makes it a killer joke. Read more... |
Sara Pascoe, Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells review - motherhood and the perils of fameFriday, 25 November 2022
Sara Pascoe comes on stage to tell us there has been a small wardrobe malfunction. She's made an effort and is wearing something glitzy, but it restricts her movement in one direction and gives too much in another. Should she go and change into something comfortable but a bit grungy? Read more... |
Jerry Sadowitz, Eventim Apollo review - brilliantly darkFriday, 18 November 2022
If anyone in the audience at the Eventim Apollo was expecting Jerry Sadowitz to rein things in after the spot of bother he ran into at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, then they were quickly disabused. Read more... |
Helen Bauer, Soho Theatre review - rollicking show about how to be a modern womanSaturday, 05 November 2022
Confidence, says Helen Bauer, is a good thing. As a woman who casts herself as the leading lady in any situation, including funerals, she has oodles of it – as well as bucketloads of energy in a show that starts with a declaration of intent: “I'm going through a very confident phase and I think you should be there for me.” The audience is on board straight away, such is the force field she exerts from the moment she walks on stage. Read more... |
Dave Gorman, Touring - comic in skittish moodThursday, 20 October 2022
Although PowerPoint has been around since 1987, and several comics have incorporated it into their shows, it's Dave Gorman who remains king of the form. Read more... |
Dara Ó Briain, Touring review - a comic on tip-top formSaturday, 15 October 2022
Some people learned how to make sourdough bread during the pandemic lockdown, while others discovered the joy of Zoom quizzes. Dara Ó Briain, on the other hand, wrote this brilliant show, So... Where Were We?, his most personal yet. Read more... |
Harry Hill, touring review - uneven madcap showMonday, 10 October 2022
It has been a long time since Harry Hill went on tour – 2013 – so one can assume that many of the youngsters in the multi-generational audience hadn't seen him perform live before, but were there because they know him from his deliriously funny television work, much of it available online. I hope they weren't disappointed – but I suspect, judging by the lack of laughter around me, that at least some were. Read more... |
Kim Noble, Soho Theatre review - final part of trilogy about lonelinessWednesday, 28 September 2022
A dead pigeon. A dead squirrel. A dead fox. Lots of maggots – very much alive. I might be describing your worst nightmare (throw in a rat or two and it would be very close to mine) but this array of wildlife forms an important part in Kim Noble's latest show, Lullaby for Scavengers. I warn you, it takes a strong stomach to sit through it – and I have to confess I had to shield my eyes at several points. The show comes with a content warning for a reason. Read more... |
Rob Rouse, Rewind the Fringe review - unstructured but gleeful funFriday, 16 September 2022
It's a pleasure to see Rob Rouse back doing standup, as these days he's as well known for his acting – he plays the idiot savant Bottom in BBC's Upstart Crow, the theatre version of which is opening shortly in the West End after its 2020 premiere run was truncated by Covid. Read more... |
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It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.
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