Stand Up For Satire, London
We used to be good at satire here in the UK. But nowadays it’s hard to imagine us ever coming up with a homegrown equivalent to The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. One reason for that is that channel controllers seem terrified of transmitting anything that could be accused of political bias, since Ofcom requires all broadcasters to maintain impartiality. It’s impossible for us to have our own Jon Stewart (or indeed to keep our own John Oliver) if our political comedians are forbidden from having a point of view. Of course, British comedy’s problems are minor compared to the chilling effects that state intervention has on freedom of expression around the world, but it’s another reason to turn out in support of Stand Up For Satire. This benefit night, in aid of Index On Censorship, features politically engaged acts who are not afraid to put their own opinions front and centre, including Labour cheerleader Gráinne Maguire, ramshackle philosopher Andrew Maxwell and the reliably incendiary Frankie Boyle.
Union Chapel, N1, Thusday 30 July
Ian Smith: Whereabouts, On tour
It’s perhaps not a name you can easily imagine in lights, but young Yorkshireman Ian Smith has some proper star quality. He’s somewhat reminiscent of highly rated Welsh stand-up Elis James, in that unforced likability is one of his key attributes, and in the way that his stage appearances see him clearly delighting in the opportunity to both entertain an audience and explore his own creativity. There’s a gently postmodern air to his stuff: Smith’s very aware of playing the role of a comedian, and pokes a lot of fun at the very idea of coming up with jokes. But this doesn’t make him a dry and cerebral performer. Instead, it simply becomes part of an incessant playfulness that infects the whole experience. He’s already picking up some TV exposure, and will be hoping for a successful Edinburgh fringe to take him to the next level.
Leicester Square Theatre, WC2, Monday 27 July; The Basement, Brighton, Wednesday 29 July; Junction, Goole, Friday 31 July
Susan Harrison Presents Jennie Benton Wordsmith, London
There are certain cliches that crop up time and time again in the work of character comedians: the Vicky Pollard-esque teenager, the indifferent toff, the passive-aggressive married couple. The middle-class rapper is another of these tired staples, but Susan Harrison has found a way to transcend its over-familiarity. Her creation, Jennie Benton Smith, is a 15-year-old – and Harrison is able to inhabit the body and mind of an adolescent so convincingly that it’s almost uncanny. The gawky physicality, the peculiar obsessions, the flitting between precociousness and nervousness: this is first-class comic acting. And the amount of thought that’s gone into this is evident from Harrison’s ability to improvise in character. It’s sometimes said by comics that there are no hackneyed subjects, only hackneyed approaches. Harrison certainly hasn’t come up with one of those.
Museum Of Comedy, WC1, Saturday 25 July
