Steve Bennett (I)
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 98
Camden Comedy Club birthday gig review
Free burgers, prosecco, ice cream and, of course, birthday cake were dished out to create a party spirit... though it was barely needed: the audience on a mundane Tuesday night was as bawdy as many a weekend club.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 26th October 2016The Comedian's Guide to Survival review
Films about comedians are rarely funny, but The Comedian's Guide To Success breaks that curse by taking the angst and insider jokes of Louis CK's Louie and playing it broader, less arthouse. It's flawed, but with the movie taking its own advice about persistence, director and writer Mark Murphy more than gets away with it.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 25th October 2016Comedian discussion: Taking offence at jokes is stupid
Taking offence at jokes displays a 'self-imposed stupidity', comedians claimed yesterday at the Battle Of Ideas festival.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 24th October 2016Review: Shirley Ghostman's Spooktacular
Shirley Ghostman is back from the dead - and just in time for Halloween.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 24th October 2016Shirley Ghostman's Spooktacular review
The whole show would benefit from being tighter, but Wooton's performance is as, erm, spirited as you could want, as he sells his ideas with bold conviction - even overcoming the evil juju that got into the PA system and cursed his headset mic.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 24th October 2016Tony Law review
This isn't, perhaps, vintage Law, but he's never less than intriguing: funny peculiar as much as it is funny ha-ha, though if you buy tickets for a show with a title as cumbersome as A Law Undo His-elf What Welcome, that's only to be expected.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 24th October 2016Gary Tank Commander Live review
It's a plot that's stretched a bit thin over two-and-a-half hours (including interval), McHugh not being the first sitcom writer to find difficulties in extending a half-hour format to a feature length. The second half, especially, spends a lot of time on plotting and exposition of a fairly simple story at the expense of laughs. Our possible ISIS man even gets to sing a ballad I Am Your Brother, Set Me Free without irony or piss-take.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 21st October 2016Prevenge - review
Prevenge was screened in the 'laughs' comedy strand of the London Film Festival, but the humour in Alice Lowe's directorial debut most definitely of the jet-black tone. Its tone is bleak and unnerving, with only the occasional dry comic moment offering relief from the brutal actions of its serial-killing anti-heroine, Ruth.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 17th October 2016Ross Noble: Brain Dump review
He wanted to tell us something about feminism, but true to the form of the past 20-plus years, Ross Noble got distracted.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 14th October 2016Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award review
Once they had all performed, it was clear that that Birmingham Comedy Festival's Breaking Talent Award was a two-horse race. In one corner, Tom Christian, with an appealing line in quirky, imaginative gags; in the other, the slick and wry observational comedy of Harv Hawkins. And in the end it was the latter who edged it.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 8th October 2016