Carl Donnelly picked up a deserved Foster's Award nomination last summer for his stand-up show, Now That's What I Carl Donnelly! Vol V. No flashy effects, no gimmicks, just very funny autobiographical stories and a dodgy title from a man who looks a little like Rolf Harris. Donnelly had recently split up with his wife when he premiered the show, which maybe put a slight different spin on things but, if anything, added a little edge to his personal material. He also has a very good anecdote about those late night train journeys with menacing lads in the carriage that we can all instantly recognise. Donnelly is at the Soho Theatre from Thursday to Saturday.

Ruby Wax is currently on tour and comes to Blackheath Halls on Saturday. In recent years Wax has become known for her writings on the mind and depression. Her last show, which she performed in the Priory and had a run in the West End, homed in on her own condition. That show had a more theatrical approach, this time round with Sane New World, she is going for a funnier stand-up angle while remaining very much the poster girl for mental health and trying to help us cope with the complexities of the modern world. Wax is never less than interesting and beyond the laughs there is a serious message, as Wax puts it, "to help us understand why we sabotage our own sanity". It wouldn't surprise me if this show eventually winds its way to London's glittering West End too.