stewart lee
Stewart Lee has now entered the current debate on comedy, politics and political correctness with an article in the Guardian concerning the ‘politically correct comedy clique’ which is said to be targeting UKIP.
To mark the publication of Comedy and Distinction: The Cultural Currency of a “Good” Sense of Humour, the London School Of Economics Sociology Department is holding a book launch.
Producer David Johnson has written that he is banning Telegraph comedy critics from his upcoming gigs. This follows the publication of the five "best jokes" at the recent Laughing Point charity gig on the Telegraph website.
There has been a lot of coverage in the past few days about the comedy club in Barcelona where they are trying out a pay-per-laugh policy. There are a few things that bother me about this. Apart form the fact that I have no earthly idea how it is going to work. Presumably some kind of camera has to be trained on the face? What if the comedy fan is wearing a niqab?
It is hard to believe but there have been mutterings of a Daniel Kitson backlash. His latest theatre piece, Analog.Ue was not greeted by the usual ecstatic reviews. Maybe - though I fully expect he would deny it – that is why he has been getting back to his first love of stand-up recently, compering a number of benefits with a few more in the pipeline. This really is what he does best. As he jokily boasted onstage at the Palace Theatre last night, he is, after all, the finest comedian of his generation.
It’s a good week for charity gigs and a good week for Daniel Kitson fans too. Kitson’s most recent theatre piece, Analog.Ue, had good reviews but not the usual ecstatic reviews last year. Maybe some people were wishing they could see him at his stand-up best.
When you see a lot of comedy gigs like I do something that is a bit different usually has a head start. And Soiree in a Cemetery was very different. Ticket-holders only discovered the location of this one-off in the afternoon, which meant that excitement was building up even before arriving. There was a bit of anxiety about the weather as autumn had decided to chip in, but the rain stopped, the sky cleared and, as long as you were well-insulated by overcoats and alcohol a good time was had by all.
This is a really big week for comedy, kicking off on Monday with the Funny Women Final at the Leicester Square Theatre. Unfortunately this is invite-only this year, but BTJ will be letting you know who has won as soon as the results are in. You can read a full preview here.
Sometimes it feels as if the Beyond The Joke preview section is an in-house website for the Soho Theatre, which tends to hoover up the best shows in London. This week, however, there is an opportunity to focus on another formidable London venue. The Leicester Square Theatre has two strong shows this week, kicking off with hard-hitting Swede Magnus Betner, who is there for three nights from tonight.
Stewart Lee will be appearing at an innovative secret gig in a graveyard on October 4. A Soirée in a Cemetery is an interactive variety night set in a secret Victorian cemetery. The location will only be revealed on the day.
Pages
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
