Comedy Reviews
Bill Bailey: Thoughtifier, Brighton Centre review - offbeat adventures with a whirling, erudite mindThursday, 22 February 2024
I first saw Bill Bailey at least 30 years ago in the cabaret tent at Glastonbury Festival, the audience lying on hessian matting, a fug of hash smoke in the air. He seemed one of us, a bug-eyed, Tolkien-prog hippy with a stoned sense of humour and charged musical chops. Read more... |
Paul Foot, Soho Theatre review - how to discover the meaning of lifeMonday, 19 February 2024
It's probably fair to say that Paul Foot is an acquired taste for some; his absurdist, poetic comedy isn't for everyone but he has built a strong and loyal following without the help of television exposure. And now in Dissolve, which debuted at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, his comedy takes a more personal turn as he describes the mental health problems that have dogged him for decades. Read more... |
Jessica Fostekew, Soho Theatre review - age is just a numberTuesday, 13 February 2024
Jessica Fostekew is ageing fast. Actually, she's not, but having recently reached 40 she says that's how she feels. And for an hour she describes to us the signs, from despising litterbugs to gaining a political viewpoint that may not chime with her peers. Read more... |
Fascinating Aida, London Palladium review - celebrating 40 glorious years of filth and defianceFriday, 09 February 2024
You don’t expect a couple of septuagenarian contraltos, aided by a spring chicken of a soprano in her fifties, to sing naughty ditties about jacksies and titties. Then again, if you are a Fascinating Aida fan, you do. Read more... |
Frank Skinner: 30 Years of Dirt, Gielgud Theatre review - a mature master of class-A smutThursday, 08 February 2024
As the man himself says, he was awarded an MBE last year, despite the dirt, for services to comedy – though which services weren’t specified… On paper that isn’t a remotely risqué remark, but Skinner can milk innuendo from anything that comes out of his mouth. Read more... |
Tatty Macleod, Soho Theatre review - cross-Channel relationsThursday, 11 January 2024
Tatty Macleod, whose debut show is about the differences between the French and the English, has a confession to make: she's not French. She not even half English/half French, despite having lived her life between the two countries. But she's definitely bilingual and, as befits having a foot in both cultures, is well placed to compare her dual countrymen and women. Read more... |
Best of 2023: ComedySaturday, 30 December 2023
From Covid-delayed dates (yes, that's still a thing) to emotional comebacks and assured debuts, 2023 had much to offer. Read more... |
Reuben Kaye, Purcell Room review - Australian gives powerhouse performanceFriday, 22 December 2023
As the panto season is in full swing, theatregoers will be expecting to hear some smut. For those who don't like the traditional artform but still like a bit of filth – with songs – then Reuben Kaye's The Butch Is Back will do nicely. Read more... |
Trevor Noah: Off the Record, O2 review - welcome return to standup for the polyglot motormouthSaturday, 25 November 2023
The O2 has to be the K2 of comedy peaks: a vast ovoid drum of a place where those right at the back have to be content with watching magnified images on screens. And for a standup, there are no electric instruments to drown out the echoing acoustics. Read more... |
Lucy Beaumont, Touring review - Hull’s finest goes on the roadFriday, 10 November 2023
Lucy Beaumont tells some tall stories – many ridiculous and some of them true, one assumes. But such is Beaumont’s wide-eyed delivery that you believe her, particularly if you have seen her on the current series of Taskmaster, where her confused “I don’t know what I thought would happen” approach provides great entertainment. Read more... |
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