All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Alfie Brown review " subversive standup rages about the pieties of our age by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonLike a British Doug Stanhope, the provocative comic oozes scorn, cynicism and sardonic spleenThere's a gap in the market for a British Doug Stanhope, although Alfie Brown…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:48PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Max and Ivan review " rambunctious comic duo are a dorky delight by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonScout leaders haunt the woods with crossbows and there are groansome puns aplenty in this deliciously silly coming-of-age showAfter half a dozen shows together, Max Olesk…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36PM[SHARE]
Monday, February 20, 2017

James Corden's TV show could learn from Simon Amstell by Brian Logan

Corden's US TV debut is a success, but the mutual back-slappery of such chatshows is almost unwatchable " all the more so when the hosts are comediansDid you ever watch Simon Amstell on Neve…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:18AM[SHARE]

Susan Calman review " Radio 4 favourite's sparky set is far from cosy by Brian Logan

The Stables, Milton Keynes The standup reveals she's taken up boxing on her Calman Before the Storm tour, and the show swipes energetically at a formidable array of targets"No one says, 'Hic…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Friday, February 17, 2017

Sue Perkins: Spectacles Live review " comic comfort food from a good egg by Brian Logan

Cambridge Corn ExchangeThe ex-Bake Off presenter's show is a droll self-portrait full of nostalgia with hints at hidden depths, though risks are scarceNeither standup show nor book tour, but…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 12, 2017

Whoopi Goldberg review - standup or glorified chat-show? by Brian Logan

London Palladium, LondonThe US comedian's first standup show in the UK got personal with segments about the indignities of getting old and her resentment for her child-friendly reputation Th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:24PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Is comedy infectious to doctors? by Brian Logan

A white coat is often a sign of funny bones, as periodic outbreaks of medically trained comedians demonstrateIs there an affinity between comedy and medicine? Certainly, a notable number of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:42AM[SHARE]

Angelos and Barry review " comedy pals' barmy banter is a puerile delight by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London The comic alter egos of Dan Renton Skinner and Alex Lowe claim to be the New Power Generation come to save us in a thin but skilfully written showIt's a match made in " …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 2, 2017

Danny Baker live review " geezer with an endless appetite for gossip by Brian Logan

City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds The broadcaster's first standup tour, Cradle to the Stage, is a lucky-dip of nostalgic childhood stories and showbiz anecdotesYou've read the autobiography. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:04AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 26, 2017

Shappi Khorsandi review " comic's cheering vision of an inclusive England by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Iranian-born comic, marking 40 years since her arrival in the UK, makes a compelling argument for the multifaceted nature of nationhoodThe first 10 minutes of Shappi …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 25, 2017

It's Burns Night: what is it that makes Scottish comedians so funny? by Brian Logan

As suppers are held for Robert Burns' birthday, here's a toast to the standups of Scotland whose attitudes and accents are perfectly suited to comedyWhen I saw Scottish standup Scott Gibson …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Jack Whitehall | Comedy review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonAt one point in Jack Whitehall's new show, he stops shouting, and addresses his recent encounter with the News of the World, who photographed him using cocaine. The ears …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM[SHARE]

Jack Whitehall review " maladroit man-child runs away from the truth by Brian Logan

Corn Exchange, CambridgeThe foppish comedian is a terrific performer but his tightly scripted comedy doesn't compensate for the dearth of anything real or insightful to say'God, these storie…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 19, 2017

Sarah Silverman's 'anal probe' tweet sparks political row by Brian Logan

Comedian's response to US anti-abortion law no laughing matter for Republicans. Elsewhere, Stewart Lee blasts elitism in comedy and Lenny Henry's thespian thunder rages onNot for the first t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 16, 2017

Jim Gaffigan review " confessions of a regular, middle-aged schlub by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonThe US standup star covers his love of junk food and his fear of doctors in a self-mocking set that shows off his voice as a well-tuned comic instrument Good,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 13, 2017

Nath Valvo review " Aussie comic riffs on teen hormones and hellish weddings by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe outre comedian, who was shortlisted for the best newcomer award at Edinburgh, is an engaging host as he reflects on adolescence and family lifeOn the basis of Nath Va…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:33AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 7, 2017

Laughing gear: the best live comedy to start 2017 by Brian Logan

Hilarity to come this year includes Bridget Christie battering Brexit, Sue Perkins' post-Bake Off trip to Leicester comedy festival and a breathtaking bout of escapologyUnmissable Theatre | …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 6, 2017

Shappi Khorsandi review " perky gags about porn and prejudice by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Anglo-Iranian comedian ranges entertainingly from racism to combative encounters at the school gateIt's not easy being a single mum on a council estate, but it's a gi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:12PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Laugh? I nearly died: how an aneurysm led Scott Gibson to standup by Brian Logan

After undergoing brain surgery, call-centre worker Scott Gibson quit his job to have a crack at comedy " and ended up storming EdinburghEight years ago, while returning home from a stag do i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:36PM[SHARE]

Move over Mrs Brown: comedians prefer Alan Partridge and Fawlty Towers by Brian Logan

Gold TV has polled the professionals about their favourite comedy. But even the funniest of the funny can't easily be reduced to scenes and one-linersSurveys of Britain's favourite comedy " …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 2, 2017

Liam Williams five-star review " a shatteringly funny set: Edinburgh festival 2014 by Brian Logan

Laughing Horse @ the Cellar Monkey, EdinburghThe Yorkshire standup's free show Capitalism is an extraordinary cri de coeur about the shallowness of modern life' Liam Williams: 'I've had nerv…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:24AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 30, 2016

Capital panto: Ricky Whittington surveys modern London's malaises by Brian Logan

A crack cast of millennial comics deliver social satire amid the poo jokes and spoof songs in an alt-panto created by Liam Williams and Daran JohnsonThe "all-age family entertainment" of pan…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:04AM[SHARE]

Beyoncé to Black Mirror; the culture that defines 2016 by Archie Bland, Michael Billington, Peter Bradshaw, Daphne A Brooks, Tom Holland, Jonathan Jones, Justine Jordan, Brian Logan, Sean O'Hagan and Simon Parkin

How better to make sense of this turbulent year than through the art and literature it has produced? Our critics choose the works that sum up the last 12 monthsIf there is one film that hold…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:36AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 18, 2016

Comedy review: Victoria Wood by Brian Logan

Royal Albert Hall, LondonRating: ** More reviews"Well, you did it," says Victoria Wood to her crowd. "You got out of the house." This is a performer who knows her audience. Her 10-show resid…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:42PM[SHARE]
Friday, December 16, 2016

An American original: comic Barry Crimmins is as radical as ever by Brian Logan

For more than 40 years, Barry Crimmins has honed his political skewering of the American dream to a fine artFrustratingly, I missed veteran US standup Barry Crimmins when he performed his de…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Jerry Seinfeld's Clio acceptance speech is a standup routine for our times by Brian Logan

Seinfeld's rant about advertising is an astonishing feat of comedy and raises an important question " whither satire when its targets laugh so hard?Usually when I see a comedian fronting an …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12PM[SHARE]

Brian Logan's top 10 comedy of 2016 by Brian Logan

Mr Swallow camped it up as Houdini, Isy Suttie looked for Mr Right, while Brexit brought out the angry best in Bridget Christie and Stewart Lee. Our critic picks the year's best comedy' More…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 9, 2016

A John Kearns Christmas review " festive toast to mundane merriment by Brian Logan

Battersea Arts Centre, LondonComedian Kearns celebrates the pain and joy of a family Christmas with wit, whimsy and wistful silencesHow do you sustain a loser persona after winning the most …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:54AM[SHARE]
Thursday, December 8, 2016

Michael McIntyre " review by Brian Logan

O2, LondonIn the opening sequence of Michael McIntyre's new show, a video portrays him as some sort of machine: a standup Terminator, assembled backstage by hi-tech gadgetry. It's a revealin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48PM[SHARE]

Taking the mickey out of Michael McIntyre by Brian Logan

As another standup is exposed for his seriousness about getting rich, over in the US Louis CK kicks out the middlemanYou'll have been forgiven this week for not noticing anything else happen…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:36PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Nick Cody review " tales of a globetrotting standup by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, London The Australian comic's stories and mickey-takes spin along well, but there's a stale cynicism to the material"Modish crap" was Michael Gove's verdict on Turner prize-win…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AM[SHARE]

All that Chat