COMEDY: GIG OF THE WEEK

Jeff Mirza Sun

In the wake of the huge success of the TV and live versions of Goodness Gracious Me, British Asian comedy is on the crest of a wave right now. One of the comedians surfing it most adeptly is Jeff Mirza. He acknowledges the influence Goodness Gracious Me has had. "It has raised the profile generally. It has helped because people now think `Asians can be funny'. Beforehand, the stereotype was always, black people are cool and Asian people are doctors." Having said that, Mirza is keen to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. "My comedy is not for Asians specifically. I've played Inverness. There are no brown faces in sight, yet the audience still went with me." He appears on a bill featuring Manjit, a hip Southall DJ with added gags, Azeem, a former architect from Toronto, and Jemima Patel.

Croydon Clocktower (0181-253 1030) tomorrow

THE BEST OF THE REST

Rainer Hersch

One critic has described Rainer Hersch as "the musical equivalent of Oscar Wilde - debonair, intelligent, witty with flashes of ruthlessness". He brings these qualities to bear in his amusing show which examines the inner workings of an orchestra, Rainer Hersch Conducts All Classical Music Explained: The Orchestra!. He shares a bill with Lenny Beige. Islington International Festival, Spiegeltent, Highbury Fields, London, N5 (0171- 689 0200) Wed

The Right Size

With shows such as Mr Puntila and His Man, The Right Size have established a reputation for innovative comic theatre and picked up the 1999 Olivier Best Entertainment Award. The company - comprising Sean Foley and Hamish McColl - are resurrecting one of their earlier hits, Do You Come Here Often?, a clever two-hander about two men trapped in a bathroom, for a national tour prior to a transfer to New York.

Oxford Playhouse (01865 798600) Tue to 19 June