Comedy
Veronica Lee
Olga Koch – born in Russia to ethnic German parents, multilingual and now living in London – might fit into the group that Theresa May once dismissed as “citizens of nowhere”, whatever that phrase means. But Koch turns that on its head in her new show as she examines nationality and belonging, and Homecoming is a terrific 60 minutes of personal storytelling and playful sexual politics, delivered with swagger.The show was prompted by Koch recently getting her UK passport – surely a German one would be more useful? – and thereby taking the Life in the UK test, which erroneously suggests that Read more ...
Veronica Lee
Here's a treat for those missing Dead Ringers (created by Bill Dare) as it takes a break on Radio 4. Dead Ringers Live has started a short season at Underbelly's London Wonderground, where live shows are being performed at its famous purple cow and big top, set within a family-friendly enclosure with fairground-style attractions, as well as food stalls and bars.Three of the radio show's cast – Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey – perform in the Big Top. A little cheekily, it is mostly an hour of their favourite recent sketches from the radio shows, but some are so good that Read more ...
Adam Sweeting
After leaving school at 14, Tom Davis spent 10 years working as a scaffolder on building sites, while always harbouring what he thought was the impossible dream of getting into comedy. Hailing from Sutton in south London, he had a go at standup and for a time found himself in drag, singing Disney songs. His luck changed when his childhood friend James De Frond got a job on Leigh Francis’s sketch show Bo’ Selecta. The two of them shot some of their own sketches, and impressed Francis enough to prompt him to invite Davis to appear on the show.He progressed through spots on series such as Bad Read more ...
Veronica Lee
At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, this year's Fringe is a much smaller beast than normal. In the face of Covid restrictions, uncertainty about when they would end and the limitations on international travel, this year many performers are staying away. There are 755 shows at 118 venues across the city, compared to 3,841 in 323 venues in 2019, the last time the Fringe was held.No top comics have a traditional three-week residency in the city and the few big names who are appearing are doing a handful of work in progress dates for UK tours later in the year. So slim pickings for Read more ...
Veronica Lee
Variety is a form of entertainment most usually seen on Saturday night television these days, but Wonderville is an attempt to bring it back into the West End. It's mostly a magic and illusion show, with a hefty slice of comedy, a bit of song and dance, and a speciality act thrown in for good measure.Much of it works, although there are some acts that it's best to gloss over (I was reminded, and not in a good way, of Britain's Got Talent a few times on the night I saw the show). But when it works, it's really good. And considering that many of magic and illusion's tricks go back centuries, it Read more ...
Veronica Lee
Some people perfected their banana loaf or sourdough bread during lockdown. Others tried to learn a new language or how to play an instrument. Bo Burnham produced this masterpiece.He is listed as the sole performer, writer, camera operator, editor and director of Inside. It was shot at his home studio in Los Angeles, his growing straggly hair and beard marking the passage of time (though it often jumps between timeframes). It's a tour de force of original songs, stand-up comedy (with a laughter track), straight-to-camera-confessionals, music videos and special effects.It starts playfully, Read more ...
Veronica Lee
What a great idea Just the Tonic's Comedy Shindig is; outdoor gigs at lovely locations under a huge awning - so who cares if the British summer turns out to be a bit wet this year? The season kicked off – in beautiful weather – in the grounds of Melbourne Hall near Derby, where a sunken Victorian walled garden provided a natural amphitheatre. Chuck in a barbecue and a bar, and it was a perfect way to enjoy an evening of comedy.Host Lou Conran was terrific, and gloriously rude about the audience from the off. Much of her material is filthy – she's the co-host (with Sally-Anne Hayward) of the Read more ...
Veronica Lee
What to make of Jimmy Carr? He’s a fantastic gag writer and experienced stand-up who has made a hugely successful career on television. And yet... as Terribly Funny makes clear, you have to share what he calls his dark and edgy humour - or, as he has it: “Cunts are a key demographic for me” - to find it mirth-making.His gags tend to be one-liners of the set-up, payoff variety, with a few set-up, misdirect, reveal to vary the pace. But when the vast majority are about how women nag, or how unattractive they are beyond a certain age, or are there just for men’s sexual pleasure, or about ghastly Read more ...
Veronica Lee
Mark Thomas comes on stage unannounced. It's not a show of humility – rather, he told us, amused at his own mistake, that his hearing isn't what it used to be and he had misheard his music cue. It was a modest start to his new show 50 Things About Us, which he is giving a runout at Soho Theatre before touring with it later in the year.It has been 18 months since he last gigged, but there were few signs of rustiness as Thomas described what has been happening to him during his enforced layoff from live performance. He developed Type 2 diabetes, for a start – “the kind you have to overeat for Read more ...
Veronica Lee
“A real live audience,” said Arthur Smith delightedly as he kicked off the Brighton Fringe with Syd, his touching and funny tribute to his late father, “an ordinary man who lived in extraordinary times” – his life included a stint in Dad's Army (the Home Guard) and as a prisoner of war in Colditz Castle, and for decades he was a bobby on the beat in south London.Smith was glad to be in The Warren, as were the audience, in a pop-up space that he described as “a yellow metal Globe”, made from brightly painted shipping containers and metal railings, with the occasional, fitting, accompaniment of Read more ...
Thomas H. Green
Introduced by Brighton Festival 2021 Guest Director, poet Lemn Sissay, Josie Long, clad in blue denim dungarees and a black tee-shirt, initially hits the stage for a celebratory introduction. She’s here to perform her Tender show about pregnancy and childbirth, but this is her first show in well over a year, due to COVID-19, and she’s keen to say hello first. She’s excited and it’s contagious.Back in summer 2019 theartsdesk reviewed Tender in its original Edinburgh Fringe incarnation but tonight’s version is not a straight rerun. Pulling it from mothballs, Long is constantly aware that a lot Read more ...
Veronica Lee
London's weather – a day of huge downpours – underlined the point that we should be rushing inside as entertainment venues (in parts of the UK, at least) reopened. It was lovely to be back at 21Soho, a welcoming and well run venue, particularly as its opening night was for anti-violence charity Reclaim These Streets. Proceeds will be distributed by the charity Rosa.Sarah Keyworth was on terrific form as the host, grateful to be finally working to a crowd who appeared in real-life form rather than on the other side of a Zoom screen. Although, as she wrily pointed out, even on Zoom there can be Read more ...