‘I experienced everyday sexism while reading Everyday Sexism’: how Katie Arnstein turns anger into laughs

She started out doing panto tours of northern garden centres. But Arnstein is now emerging as a thrilling performer, turning the shocks of her life – sexual harassment, her mum’s cancer – into bracing solo showsKatie Arnstein greets you at her theatre …

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Mark Steel: ‘I have cancer and it feels like there’s a leopard in my house’

The comedian was booked in for a biopsy after noticing a neck abnormality. Standups are used to leaving audiences jolly but he could not share his diagnosis without causing worryI felt an actual breeze flutter, blowing my hair. The consultant had told …

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Janey Godley is a comic with the common touch – her final tour is as much communion as standup

Not Dead Yet addresses the return of Godley’s ovarian cancer. But mostly it is a celebratory farewell from a performer who has welcomed the crowd into her remarkable lifeNot Dead Yet is Janey Godley’s last tour, she has announced. She was diagnosed wit…

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The Long Run review – going the distance with love and laughter

The Vaults, LondonKatie Arnstein’s captivating show about her mum’s treatment for cancer lies somewhere between storytelling and standupThe crowd carries you along in a marathon, says Katie Arnstein towards the end of this winning show about family and…

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Gilda’s Laughfest announces 2023 festival dates

Time to mark your comedy calendars for the next incarnation of Gilda’s Laughfest. Today the organization announced the 2023 dates… MORE
Gilda’s Laughfest announces 2023 festival dates appeared first on The Laugh Button.

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‘I dressed my colostomy bag as Boris Johnson’: the standups unleashing comedy on life-threatening disease

From bowel cancer to Parkinson’s and dementia, the Edinburgh fringe is full of jokes about serious illness. What’s in it for the comedians – and their audiences?Standup comedy must have been the furthest thing from Sarah Mills’ mind as she awaited some…

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Rhod Gilbert announces he is being treated for cancer

Welsh comedian becomes patient at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, where he is a patronRhod Gilbert, the comedian and television presenter, has announced he is being treated for cancer.The 53-year-old from Carmarthen said he was a patient at Velindre…

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Louie Anderson admitted to the hospital, where he’s battling cancer

2022 is not off to a good start for Louie Anderson. Today, we learned from TMZ that the comedian and… MORE
Louie Anderson admitted to the hospital, where he’s battling cancer appeared first on The Laugh Button.

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Kathy Griffin reveals on Twitter that she has lung cancer

Comedian Kathy Griffin took to Twitter this morning to make a big announcement: She has been diagnosed with lung cancer… MORE
Kathy Griffin reveals on Twitter that she has lung cancer appeared first on The Laugh Button.

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Booze, bankruptcy, brain haemorrhage: the comics turning tragedy into laughs

A former alcoholic, a cancer survivor and a man who lost all his money in a Bitcoin crash are among the comics coming back from the brink at the Edinburgh fringe

I didn’t start drinking until I was 18,” says Matt Rees. “That’s quite a rarity for someone in the UK. But straight away, I recognised that I liked it – and I knew that one day I’d have to stop.”

Rees, who was born in Maesteg, south Wales, is making his debut at this year’s Edinburgh fringe with Happy Hour, a look back at his battle with alcohol. He started performing in 2010 and quickly scooped up some new act awards. Then, two years ago, his comedy career stalled as he experienced problems with addiction.

‘It’s normal to go on stage after a few pints, and it’s fine to be hungover the next day. Someone with a normal job would’ve been fired’

Related: 50 shows to see at the Edinburgh fringe 2018

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