All stories by Brian Logan on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Marek Larwood " Edinburgh review by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardAdmit it: we've all Googled ourselves. Few have had Marek Larwood's experience, however, of discovering that the word most frequently linked to his name in searches was "r…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:05PM[SHARE]

The Pajama Men " Edinburgh review by Brian Logan

Assembly, George SquareThe Pajama Men have a head start on other comic acts turning to improv. They first met as improvisers in Albuquerque, and in their terrific series of hit shows they do…

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

Edinburgh fringe face-off: Stewart Lee v Nica Burns by Brian Logan

The 'spirit of the fringe' is pitted against capitalism as awards director dismisses standup's complaints about commercialisation of Edinburgh comedyBest of this week's newsHalfway through w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:55AM[SHARE]

The Imaginary Radio Programme " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

Assembly RoxyWhat's so funny? The radio, if American performer Drennon Davis is to be believed. Davis's beatbox-comedy show, performed with his sidekick Monique Moreau, presents an hour's wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:30AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Chris Coltrane " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

GlobePolitical protest, as Chris Coltrane points out in his free fringe show, never used to be much fun. A million people marched against the Iraq war, and the government sent the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:34PM[SHARE]

Phill Jupitus is Porky the Poet in 27 Years On " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

The Jam House, EdinburghWhat's so funny? The fact that Phill Jupitus first made his name in performance poetry. In the mid-80s, Jupitus traded under the name Porky the Poet, an act that he n…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:29AM[SHARE]
Monday, August 6, 2012

Max and Ivan " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardIn this theatre last year, Humphrey Ker had a huge hit with his second world war pastiche Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher. I was reminded of it when watching this enjoyable of…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:29PM[SHARE]

Billy the Mime " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

Just the Tonic at The Caves, EdinburghWhat's so funny? Billy the Mime is the silent, white-faced alter ego of American actor and comedian Steven Banks. If you know him at all, it'll be from …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:36AM[SHARE]

Fat Whore: Kristine Levine " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

The Assembly Rooms, EdinburghWhat's so funny? Kristine Levine is being brought to us by the same producer who imported Doug Stanhope, Hans Teeuwen, Maria Bamford and other fine comics to Edi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:29AM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 5, 2012

Daniel Kitson: the Salinger of standup by Brian Logan

Daniel Kitson doesn't do tours, interviews, TV or DVDs. So how a reclusive enigma become the most sought after standup of his generation? As the comic prepares to appear at Edinburgh, Brian&…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:30PM[SHARE]

Daniel Kitson: the Salinger of standup by Brian Logan

Daniel Kitson doesn't do tours, interviews, TV or DVDs. So how did a reclusive enigma become the most sought after standup of his generation? As the comic prepares to appear at Edinburgh, Br…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:30PM[SHARE]

One Rogue Reporter " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardRich Peppiatt is not, by his own admission, a comedian. And his show barely qualifies as live comedy: it's mainly video clips, screened in a tent at the Pleasance until, y…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:05PM[SHARE]

Rhys Darby " Edinburgh festival review by Brian Logan

Pleasance CourtyardConsciously or otherwise, New Zealand comic Rhys Darby's set keeps recalling Flight of the Conchords, the HBO sitcom that made his name. In this show's tenuous framing dev…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Stewart Lee causes Fringe rumpus, while US standup causes outrage by Brian Logan

Edinburgh corporatisation is the new hot topic, while American comic Dane Cook courts controversy by joking about the Aurora shootings " plus your take on the week's comedy eventsBest of thi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:59AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 24, 2012

1936 " theatre review by Brian Logan

Lilian Baylis Studio, LondonFor those wondering what this month's overblown corporate carnival in the East End has to do with sport, here's a reminder that the Olympics were never simpl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:30PM[SHARE]

Stephen Merchant flies solo and Simon Pegg crash lands into 'sexism' row by Brian Logan

Gervais collaborator gets his own TV pilot, Pegg's Comic-Con costume fetish causes offence, and Russell Brand wants to be a vicar ... so it seemsBest of the week's newsStephen Merchant is wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM[SHARE]

Stephen Merchant flies solo and Simon Pegg crash lands into 'sexism' row by Brian Logan

Gervais collaborator gets his own TV pilot, Pegg's Comic-Con costume fetish causes offence, and Russell Brand wants to be a vicar ... so it seems Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 11, 2012

John McEnroe and Daniel Tosh " you cannot be serious? by Brian Logan

John McEnroe suffers a sense of humour failure over use of his catchphrase and comic Daniel Tosh seems to think rape is a laughing matterBest of the week's newsSo what have we learned about …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! " review by Brian Logan

Arcola Tent, London"I was a faghag when to be a faghag was a glorious thing," says the performance artist Penny Arcade. Now 62, Arcade (real name: Susana Ventura) worked with Andy Warho…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:07PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Has Russell got the right Brand of humour for US television? by Brian Logan

Russell Brand's new TV show Brand X fails to wow the US critics, while Eddie Izzard treats LA to a French-speaking gigBest of the week's newsWith his recent select committee appearance, tour…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:37PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Laughing stock: Jimmy Carr outed, comedy's top 100, Brand new Russell Kane by Brian Logan

Accusations of tax avoidance, the most influential people in comedy, Russells, and Alastair and Armando square upBest of the week's newsThe 8 Out of 10 Cats host, Jimmy Carr, finds himself s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:15PM[SHARE]
Monday, June 18, 2012

Found Footage festival: 'Stupid videos might be the international language' by Brian Logan

Got any stupid video recordings from the age of VHS? Brian Logan meets two men who are turning their love of 'found footage' into a comedy festivalReading this on mobile? Click here to viewS…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:50PM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Mike Birbiglia " review by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonMike Birbiglia's girlfriend can win arguments without actually arguing. "That's how I feel," she will simply say " which is as conclusive as it is infuriating. My Girlfri…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:10PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A Midsummer Night's Dream " review by Brian Logan

Shakespeare's Globe, LondonWatching Shakespeare, we usually get to savour the most beautiful words ever written. In this latest instalment of the Globe to Globe international season, the phr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:38AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Tender Subject " review by Brian Logan

Secret location, London"Did you get it?", asks a caption on a wall as we exit A Tender Subject, Mark Storor's new performance installation for Artangel. Well, yes and no. The event, which ta…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:29PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Rainer Hersch's Victor Borge " review by Brian Logan

Jermyn Street, LondonWhen Rainer Hersch started performing his mix of comedy and classical music, he found himself repeatedly compared to Victor Borge. He didn't know who Borge was " few now…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:09PM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 11, 2012

Samantha Spiro: 'I was never an ingenue' by Brian Logan

Samantha Spiro got a breakthrough award at 42, and is about to take on the biggest role of her career. She tells Brian Logan why it was worth the wait Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 8, 2012

Will Sarah Millican charm viewers with her new BBC2 programme? by Brian Logan

Millican's new show might seal the comedian's entry into the mainstream " but will it get beyond her favourite subjects of sex and self-mockery?The very first line of standup comic Sarah Mil…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Making a theatre festival stand out from the throng by Brian Logan

Festivals seem to be a permanent fixture on the national theatre scene. So how could I make Camden's Sprint festival different?In a world of perpetual festivals, how does any individual one …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tim Clare: How to Be a Leader " review by Brian Logan

BAC, LondonLeadership is a prized quality in these rudderless times, but we seldom think hard about what it means. Performance poet-turned-comedian Tim Clare has done that thinking for us, a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:56PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Jackie Mason " review by Brian Logan

Wyndhams, LondonThere comes a point when comic scepticism shades into cynicism " about halfway through Jackie Mason's West End show, to be precise. I enjoyed the first half of this farewell-…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:41PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off