John Cooper Clarke
His masterly command of the stage and his considerable charisma hides it well, but he has been trotting out the same gags, the same asides and - of course - the same poems for at least fifteen years. How big a problem that represents is largely down to the affection in which he is held.
Read full Article >Josie Long - Now Is The Time Of Monsters
Yes, there was prepared stuff about grinding her teeth, a throwaway reference to Charlie Kirk, and a criticism of the status quo (situation, not band) but nothing compared to the comedy gold of the UPS distribution centre in Tamworth.
Read full ArticleAnglia Comedy Allstars
Plaudits are due to Epic for hosting an evening that was never boring and, for the most part, hugely entertaining. I look forward to the next time the Anglia Comedy Allstars come out to play
Read full ArticleEsther Manito - Slagbomb
Frankly, I was not the target audience for this show, but I still laughed so hard my chest hurt
Read full ArticleElf Lyons - Horses
This was an outstanding night of well structured, faultlessly executed, comedy/performance art and credit is due to the Theatre Royal for opening up a space for such an exhilarating, genre defying show.
Andy Hamilton
I say "cosy" not in a snide or condescending way, but because it's simply the best word I can think of describe the warm hearted disposition of the man whose company felt like time spent with the uncle everyone wishes they had.
Simon Munnery
I was frequently amused, and remained engaged throughout, but I don’t think that I was able to indicate my appreciation in a particularly audible way. Hopefully this message will go some way to redressing this, as I am confident that I will remember last night for far longer than the other meetings I attended this week.
Ha! Milton Jones
If a comparison is needed then imagine the puns of Tim Vine, the lunacy of Spencer Jones, the relentlessness of Gary Delaney, and the sight gags of the late, great Tommy Cooper.
Kate Butch : Wuthering Shites
Extravagantly queer and dramatically hilarious, Kate Butch runs up that stage at Norwich Playhouse theatre with live singing and a superb performance.
Amy Mason
Free Mason is a refreshing departure from the relentless punchline-chasing of mainstream stand-up. Mason offers something intimate here and more textured—a carefully observed patchwork of life’s smaller, stranger moments.
Juliette Burton: Hopepunk
Her gift, and it cannot be overstated, is to normalise what might otherwise be too traumatic to discuss, embracing not only her philosophy but her audience as well, so that the evening felt less like a performance and more like a conversation.
Jason Byrne No Show
This was one of the most enjoyable nights of comedy I've experienced in a long time. Byrne's warmth and empathy was reciprocated by a crowd eager to have a good time. My only misgiving was how far the night strayed from its advertised ambition.
Andrew O'Neill: Geburah
O'Neill's comedy is notoriously hard to pin down, harder still to categorise - a unique and uncompromising voice that is thoroughly entertaining, but also thought-provoking and mind-expanding in a way that is ultimately far more nourishing than a straightforward chuckle.
Brian Butterfield - The Call of Now
An evening that started with foolishness but ended in a Damascene moment of self-awareness
Stewart Lee
Throughout the near two-hour performance I’m rapt. I leave the Theatre Royal grateful to have witnessed such an assured, skilled and thoughtful act.
Ed Gamble
For all his ribald profanity, Gamble is an unusually old fashioned comic, building up mental pictures in the mind of an audience from a grain of truth, who then laugh loudest at situations that, but for the grace of God, go I.
Ross Noble Jibber Jabber Jamboree
Dispensing with the notion of a support act, we collectively jumped into the deep end, as he homed in on the brave souls on the front row. It's not unusual for a comic to break the ice with a bit of a chat with the audience before launching into the act, but it quickly became apparent this was the act. At times, he seemed less like a slick comic, and more like the funniest mate down the pub.
Tom Allen
Tom Allen is the master of the pointed question, the cheeky put-down and the witty response
John Robins in Howl
The promise of a five-star hit at Edinburgh is no guarantee of a good night out - the unique bubble of the Fringe can distort and filter perception - but this was one of most extraordinary, and genuinely unique, stand up shows I can recall seeing.
Nick Mohammed Presents The Best and Worst or Mr Swallow
Simon Munnery
Munnery is a performer that divides people. You either haven't heard of him, or you consider him a legend. Not a legend in the sense of greatness, but a literal legend - a near mythical character that reinvented comedy. Sandwiched somewhere in between Ted Chippington and Andy Kaufman, he redefined what being a comedian could mean back in the day.
Alasdair Beckett-King: The Interdimensional ABK
Garrett Millerick
Sex, Tries and Videotape
Parenting Hell Live: Work in Progress
LUKE WRIGHT’S THE REMAINS OF LOGAN DANKWORTH
A brilliant, at times astonishing, performance from East Anglia’s very own alternative Poet Laureate.
Flat & The Curves
Even as an ageing single male, Flat & The Curves provided me with to be one of my funniest Saturday nights ever. Out of those that I can still remember, of course.
Paul Foot - Malcolm Head
Catherine Cohen
She Go Looks Out From Behind 2022
Sh*t Actually
Sara Pascoe – Success Story
Holt? Who goes There?
If you have never seen The Nimmo Twins, then you better be bloody quick. Their run of shows at Norwich Theatre Playhouse sold out yonks ago. If you are quick, you might be lucky as they are doing a one-night-only show at Norwich Theatre Royal on August 23rd. If not, just “keep on troshin”.