Barry Humphries’ show The Man Behind the Mask is an exploration of his life and career, and what influenced and prompted him to ultimately become an international star selling out theatres in the West End and on Broadway.
‘Waves of affection lap around him’: BARRY HUMPHRIES: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK – Touring
Barry Humphries is 88, five shows into a 27-date tour, The Man Behind The Mask, and this time he is presented as himself, the trickiest character of all.
NEWS: Vault Festival cancels tenth-anniversary programme featuring 600+ shows
Organisers of London’s VAULT Festival, which was due to return this month bigger and better than ever, today announced that the entire 2022 programme has been canceled in the face of continuing uncertainty with the Omicron variant.
Panto not your thing? Lucie Jones & other alternative festive shows this Christmas
Not up for seeing panto but still fancy getting out of the house before Omicron burns it all down? Here are some alternatives to pantomimes this month.
‘When you hear the NHS is at breaking point, that means the people in the NHS’: Adam Kay on Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
Junior doctor turned multi-award-winning writer and comedian Adam Kay returns to the stage this festive season with a reminder to spare a thought for the hard-working staff of the NHS as we gorge on our mince pies and mulled wine.
‘This is the little show that could & does’: PRIDE & PREJUDICE (sort of) – West End
There are some shows with modest beginnings that seem to have all of the industry behind them, willing them to succeed. Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is one of them.
NEWS: Full programme released for 600+ shows in 2022 Vault Festival
The full programme is now announced for VAULT Festival 2022, which returns to London from 25 January to 20 March 2022 for its tenth anniversary.
‘A raucous & entertaining evening from five talented women’: PRIDE & PREJUDICE (sort of) – West End
As five conspiratorial servants potter around the stage before the show proper, we know this is going to be no typical Jane Austen adaptation. This is Pride and Prejudice as you never knew it.
NEWS: Broadway musical Mrs Doubtfire gets UK premiere in Manchester next September
Broadway musical Mrs Doubtfire will get its UK premiere next year. Producers have confirmed the screen-to-stage hit will have a strictly limited season at the Manchester Opera House from 2 September to 1 October 2022.
NEWS: Cabaret La Clique returns to the West End from 13 Nov with a new show and cast
Cabaret La Clique is back in the West End this Christmas with a new show and cast in Leicester Square’s mirrored Spiegeltent.
‘It’s a joyful piece of theatre to take us out of the misery of lockdown’: DOING SHAKESPEARE – Bridewell Theatre
The live version of Northern Comedy Theatre’s lockdown Zoom hit sees Shakespeare diced, sliced and put through the mincer at the Bridewell Theatre.
Doing the interview with Doing Shakespeare’s comedy duo creatives
After becoming a fan of their online comedies during lockdown, I chat with Northern Comedy Theatre artistic director Shaun Chambers and writer David Spicer as they transfer their Zoom hit Doing Shakespeare to the stage at the Bridewell Theatre.
‘Ensemble comedy in the British up-against-the-odds tradition’: GOING THE DISTANCE (Online review)
This latest star-studded digital offering from Henry Filloux-Bennett and the Lawrence Batley Theatre is a pleasing comedy about the tribulations of putting on a post-pandemic production.
‘This is one of the best comedies running in the West End’: RELATIVELY SPEAKING — Jermyn Street Theatre
This is the first show in the Jermyn Street Theatre’s Encounters season, and they have certainly started it off on a high note. This is a production of one of Alan Ayckbourn’s first plays from 1965, a comedy and farce set around the misunderstandings between two couples.
‘Warms the heart as much as it makes you laugh’: BLOWHOLE – Pleasance Theatre ★★★★
Blowhole is a hilarious and surprisingly moving solo show about life as a 20-something gay man looking for love, and the ultimate fabulous gay lifestyle.
‘A fast-paced romp through one of Shakespeare’s daftest comedies’: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS – Wimbledon & Touring
Scoot Theatre is out touring cricket grounds (plus a few other places) again this summer with two condensed, family-friendly Shakespeare shows. Alongside the return of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which we saw and loved at BarnFest 2020) comes The Comedy of Errors.
‘Proves to be as entertaining as it can be’: SYD – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review)
Arthur Smith pays homage to his (extra) ordinary Dad in Syd which premiered at 2018’s Fringe and is now an online show recorded at Falmouth and being streamed via the Pleasance.
‘Leaves an uplifting note embracing some serious girl power’: LOVEFOOL – Edinburgh Fringe
Written and performed by Rachel E. Thorn, Lovefool makes nostalgia a fun treat for those who can take hints involving pop music lyrics and a magazine’s cringe sections. If that’s you, this show will tell you what you want, what you really really want.
‘A place of comedy & heart-warming friendship’: MADHOUSE – Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Welcome to the Madhouse, a place of chaos and confusion, typical of student house-sharing. A group of six friends gives a bittersweet glimpse of early adulthood, a path as messy as the kitchen table around which they party, study, and share their stories.
‘Satirical ridicule on familiar faces’: THUNDERJAB 3 – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★
If you are looking to end the day with an abundance of laughter then definitely go and check out Eric Robinson in Thunderjab 3 at the Bevan Theatre in The Surgeons Hall Space.