Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 299
Opinion: The wrong kind of audience participation
Tommy Tiernan had one of those people in last night at the Soho Theatre. You know, the ones who insist on interrupting your seamless routine and think that they are helping you out.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 23rd January 2014Opinion: Reviewing the situation - or not in this case
I've been going to comedy gigs for as long as I can remember and reviewing them for nearly as long, but last night there was a first. I was sitting in an aisle seat about eight rows back from the stage at Frank Skinner's opening show at the Leicester Square Theatre. During his set there was a tap on my shoulder. It was one of the ushers: "Please do not take notes." "Why?" I asked. "It's policy."
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 22nd January 2014Review: Frank Skinner, Leicester Square Theatre
There was plenty to smile about beyond the filth - after seven years away from stand-up, Skinner's act now includes haikus and references to Plato.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 22nd January 2014News: New solo gig from Julian Barratt
Following recent rumours of a Mighty Boosh tour which were promptly denied by the duo's management, Julian Barratt is definitely doing a live gig in his own right.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 20th January 2014John Kearns/Liam Williams review
A new wave of talent is crashing on comedy's shore.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 16th January 2014Opinion: What's in a name?
Comedy sketch group Lebensmüde has changed its name to Lazy Susan. I don't know exactly why.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th January 2014Classic interview: Red Dwarf, April, 2006
It's not a sentence that you hear every day - "Excuse me, I must go and get rubberised" - except in certain Soho clubs. Or if you are visiting the Red Dwarf set at Shepperton Studios and talking to Robert Llewellyn, who plays the valet Kryten, the latex-faced mechanoid in the cult science-fiction sitcom.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 10th January 2014TV review: Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe, BBC Two
I've loved Brooker ever since I first came across his TV Go Home website back in the days of narrowband, but last night's episode was a relatively thin gruel of grumpiness, despite having a team of crack writers, compared to the bile-filled riches he used to serve up when I imagined him scribbling away alone at home, steam coming out of his ears, in a dingy bedsit in his pants. Charlie Brooker is, how can I put it politely, in danger of getting a bit too nice.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 10th January 2014Bob Mortimer interview
'I suppose it is formally our first 28 minute studio sitcom but it reminds me of the longer bits we used to do in our sketch shows.'
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 10th January 2014Alfie Brown, Soho Theatre - comedy review
His brutal honesty and lack of an edit button make him a little Russell Brand-lite, while his slightly plummy tones evoke Jack Whitehall, but Alfie Brown is developing into a distinctive dissenting voice. What's it all about? Ask Alfie.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 10th January 2014