fri 13/06/2025

Comedy Reviews

Dara Ó Briain, Touring review - a comic on tip-top form

Veronica Lee

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 show

Veronica Lee

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 loneliness

Veronica Lee

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 fun

Veronica Lee

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...

Dave Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2022

Veronica Lee

The Dave Edinburgh Awards went abroad this year – Australian Sam Campbell won for best show at the Fringe, while American Lara Ricote won best newcomer.

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 reviews: Joseph Parsons / Njambi McGrath / Josh Jones

Veronica Lee

Joseph Parsons, The Mash House 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 reviews: Jake Lambert / Bella Hull / Jack Harris

Veronica Lee

Jake Lambert, Pleasance Courtyard 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 reviews: Hal Cruttenden / Zach Zucker / The Delightful Sausage

Veronica Lee

 

Hal Cruttenden, Pleasance Courtyard 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 reviews: Randy Feltface / Sarah Keyworth / Andrew Maxwell

Veronica Lee

Randy Feltface, Assembly George Square 

Read more...

Edinburgh Fringe 2022 reviews: Ania Magliano / Leo Reich / Chloe Petts

Veronica Lee

Ania Magliano, Pleasance Courtyard 

Read more...

Pages

 

latest in today

Help to give theartsdesk a future!

It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

It followed some...

Yoshitomo Nara, Hayward Gallery review - sickeningly cute ki...

It’s been a long time since an exhibition made me feel physically sick. The Hayward Gallery is currently hosting a retrospective of the...

Hespèrion XXI, Savall, QEH review - an evening filled with l...

For the first encore of the evening, it was not just the audience but the whole ensemble of Hespèrion XXI that was mesmerised as its leader,...

Album: Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts - Talkin' to...

When Neil Young releases a new album, you can be reasonably sure that you’ll get either a disc of melancholy singer-songwriter fare or a set of...

Samuel Arbesman: The Magic of Code review - the spark ages

The slightly overwrought subtitle, "How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World and Shapes Our Future", gives a...

Album: Mary Halvorson - About Ghosts

Although Mary Halvorson leads the sextet Amaryllis on About Ghosts, instrumentally, she does not place her guitar to the fore. The first...

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bridge Theatre review - Nick...

It’s a sign of the inroads that the term “immersive” has made in theatreland that it now gets jokily namedropped at the...

Saul, Glyndebourne review - playful, visually ravishing desc...

This thrilling production of Saul takes Handel’s dramatisation of the Bible’s first Book of Samuel and paints it in...

theartsdesk at the Dublin International Chamber Music Festiv...

If, like me, chamber music isn’t your most frequent home, there are bound to be revelations of what for many are known masterpieces. Mine in...

Album: Marina - Princess of Power

Marina Diamandis is a proper pop star, brilliantly full-on...