comedy

John Tothill: Thank God This Lasts Forever, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

This is the sophomore effort from a former teacher turned stand-up comedian, after his critically acclaimed debut from last year The Last Living Libertine. This time around, the ‘modern day libertine’ talks about how he became a teacher, his mouse infestation, his weeknight escapades spent drinking, and how you can make money from participating in medical testing. The latter constitutes the meat of the show, as he explains how a malaria experiment almost went disastrously wrong.

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Sophie Duker: But Daddy I Love Her, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Former winner of Taskmaster and Celebrity Mastermind, and following regular appearances on Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and The Last Leg, Sophie Duker tours her new show to London this month. This is the sequel to her award-nominated 2019 debut, But Daddy I Loved Her, a play on the trademark phrase from Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, is a loud, brash and electric show from Duker.

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Kim’s Convenience, Riverside Studios

by Zahid Fayyaz

Now a very popular Netflix sitcom, Kim Convenience reverts back to its theatrical roots for a second run in the current London theatre season. Previously at the Park Theatre, Ins Choi’s production is now on at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios. With Choi playing the patriarch of the family, ‘Appy’, this is a family drama with both humour and pathos in equal measure.

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Attention Span, Hen & Chickens Theatre

by Diana Miranda

It’s often said that storytelling sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. What no one says is that telling stories is no rudimentary act, but a labyrinth of tangents, digressions, and U-turns. Enter Brave Mirror Productions and Attention Span, “a series of short sketches for people with short attention spans,” as its creators put it. This high-energy satire turns the mind inside out to dive into its rabbit holes, unravelling the tangled web within the human brain.

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My Plan for Tomorrow, Golden Goose Theatre

Photo by Rachel Burnham

By Luisa De la Concha Montes

My Plan for Tomorrow follows Piers (Alfie-Lanham Brown), a frustrated character who wanted to be a writer, but didn’t get into Oxford, so now he splits his time between delivering job-hunting masterclasses, attending comic-con conventions and telling people how great his (unfinished) novel is. When he runs into an old acquaintance from university, Tomas (Chris Capon), Piers becomes obsessed, as Tomas represents everything Piers wishes he could have been: a successful comic illustrator with a big following. 

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Sex Chat Granny, Etcetera Theatre

By Diana Miranda

Leave all your Granny stereotypes at the door. Harriet Waterhouse’s debut dramedy Sex Chat Granny offers a unique perspective on a woman working on sex chat phone lines as she navigates the challenges of middle age and unpaid bills. The play provides glimpses into her life – stories filled with longing and stagnant dreams – interspersed with calls to her mother, who has dementia, and men seeking companionship. 

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Jazz Emu: Knight Fever, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Viral hit Jazz Emu (real name – Archie Henderson) has launched his new show and forthcoming tour after garnering millions of views of his music videos on social media platforms. Down in the theatre’s lively cabaret space, the conceit of the show is that the character Jazz Emu is warming up just before he gets on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance. However, Jazz has a secondary objective: he wants to be the one knighted by the King that evening, as apparently that’s how all Royal Variety performances end. The only person in his way is his arch nemesis, Kelly Clarkson, as well as his own failure to comply with various laws and financial guidelines.

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Cutting the Tightrope, Arcola Theatre

by Luisa De la Concha Montes

Cutting the Tightrope hosts a series of short sketches that are united by the same topic: censorship. It was created as a direct response to the Arts Council England’s now retracted guidance that political statements made by individuals linked to an organisation can cause reputational risks. From the war in Gaza to the rise of authoritarian regimes, each sketch explores the political, social and emotional effects that the lack of freedom of expression may have.

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Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), Pleasance Theatre

by Archie Whyld

What do German theatre directors eat in the morning? Why, Brechtfast, of course. Early on in Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), a similar, and admittedly better, Brechtfast joke was subtly slipped in, in a moment of metatheatrical gorgeousness, and so, being a lover of all things Brecht, I thought – this is for me.

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Jason Byrne: Paddy Lama Shed Talks, Museum of Comedy

by Zahid Fayyaz

Following on from his success run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, Jason Byrne brings his one-man play to London for a few dates. On a stage set up to look like his dad’s ‘man cave’, with a Perry Como record and red lemonade prominently displayed, it certainly looks the part for what follows.

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