Frankie Boyle: Work In Progress, London
Liberal comedy fans can tie themselves in knots trying to come up with logical reasons why Jerry Sadowitz is a profane genius and Dapper Laughs is a bigot who ought to be hounded out of showbiz. Ultimately, though, it feels as if funny talks and bullshit walks. Which is to say that perhaps Sadowitz, Frankie Boyle and Doug Stanhope get away with offensive material because they can get the big laughs, whereas Dapper doesn’t because he can’t. Boyle is back onstage this week, working through new material. Given the fact that institutional timidity seems to be keeping his black-hearted brilliance off TV screens for now, the chance to see him at close quarters is not to be missed. Given the shock value of the gags that appear in a polished Boyle product, just imagine how brutal the rejected jokes must be.
Soho Theatre, W1, Sun & Mon, Leicester Square Theatre, WC2, Wed to 9 May
Reginald D Hunter: The Man Who Attempted To Do As Much As Such, On tour
One of the greatest mismatched bookings in comedy history came in 2013, when Reginald D Hunter was hired as the entertainment for the Professional Football Association’s annual awards dinner. Following a set that confronted racism head-on – including repeated use of the N-word – the PFA asked Hunter to return his fee. Anyone familiar with the comic’s material wouldn’t have been surprised: Hunter deals with the unvarnished truth as he sees it, and doesn’t in any way sugar-coat his message. Despite the gentle southern lilt of his voice and apparent politeness of his manner, his stock-in-trade is a brutal exposure of prejudice, peeling back the pretence of a tolerant society to reveal the nastiness underneath.
ImproFest, London
The jury remains out as to whether the UK will ever get properly good at improv. In the States, it’s a staple activity for comics: seemingly every US performer has some experience of making things up on the hoof. Over here, it has always been a novelty. Yes, the Comedy Store Players and Paul Merton’s Impro Chums still play to big audiences, but the fact that both of these are hangovers from the fondly remembered 80s TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? proves how limited an impact improv has had in Britain over the last two decades. ImproFest is attempting to fly the flag for this most spontaneous of all the comedic arts, collecting together a variety of the most promising new-to-newish troupes. Given the success of groups such as Showstoppers (instant improvised musicals) and Austentatious (a new Jane Austen novel while you wait), it’s no surprise that several shows in today’s end of festival lineup rely on big accessible themes. These include Upstairs Downton (spontaneous costume drama) and Oh Boy, where the Maydays create a brand new episode of cult sci-fi show Quantum Leap from scratch.
Tristan Bates Theatre, WC2, Sat
