Reviews

Striding out on stage to open his show, Derren Brown has an expectant beam on his face. The audience too has high expectations, chief among them that Brown's stride will never be broken, that he will never be wrong-footed.

Derren Brown: Enigma, Adelphi Theatre, London (Rated 3/ 5 )

Roll up for the mystery tour

Inside Reviews

Sandra Bernhard, Leicester Square Theatre, London

Sunday, 31 May 2009

The real test of stand-up stamina – to keep your heels on

The Comedy Store's 30th Birthday, The Comedy Store, London (Rated 4/ 5 )

Monday, 25 May 2009

The old ones are still the best

Showstopper!, Leicester Square Theatre, London (Rated 3/ 5 )

Tuesday, 5 May 2009

Little Briton with a large talent

Russell Brand, The 02, London

Sunday, 19 April 2009

Russell Brand's stand-up is funny enough without having to drag poor Andrew Sachs into his routine

Rob Brydon, Hexagon, Reading (Rated 2/ 5 )

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

When Rob Brydon's support act, Hal Cruttenden, announces himself, there's the customary puzzlement from the section of the audience that didn't realise there was a warm-up.

Russell Brand, Bloomsbury Theatre, London

Monday, 19 January 2009

No apology, and not all that many laughs either

Eight lessons and carols for godless people, Bloomsbury Theatre, London (Rated 4/ 5 )

Monday, 22 December 2008

Rational festive cheer with the godless squad

Russell Howard, Wembley Arena, London

Tuesday, 9 December 2008

"If I pull back this curtain you can see the rest of the venue. It's massive, and at the end of it there's a big picture of Lee Evans." So went Russell Howard's self-deprecating take on a concertinaed Wembley Arena and previous comics who filled the full version. Nevertheless, the gig rounds off a sold-out 70-date tour that has included a number of nights like this where Howard's audience has topped 3,500.

Eddie Izzard: Stripped, Lyric Theatre, London

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

At the after-show party of this year's Secret Policeman's Ball, Germaine Greer led the singing of headliner Eddie Izzard's praises, comparing his imagination to that of Peter Cook, even after his so-so performance. Two years before, at the same event, a comedian incredulously asked me how Izzard could get so worked up about flies, after another so-so performance in which Izzard deliberated on the mores of the insect world.