I don’t know if they have Deal Or No Deal in South Africa, but that was my first thought when I heard that An Audience With Pieter-Dirk Uys at the Soho Theatre until July 27 begins with the seasoned satirist randomly making selections from 15 boxes on stage. Instead of pulling out cash amounts though, he will be pulling out different costumes and inhabiting different characters. Uys is a master chameleon, a kind of South African Barry Humphries but with more politics. This is his first UK show for a decade and a lot has changed in South Africa in that time. Whatever creations pop out of the boxes one can certainly bank on some insights into recent turbulent times. 

It was a shame to see Harry Hill’s X Factor musical close early, but on the plus side he now seems to have time on his hands to work on some new solo live material. Hill has been cropping up in clubs doing low-key gigs recently and he has two shows this week, at Aces & Eights on July 15 & 16. I’ve got no idea what he is doing onstage these days, but his last tour was a real return to vaudevillian form which included bouncing on soiled mattresses and splashing about in a children's paddling pool. Definitely worth  investigating further.

Eddie Izzard has been a lifelong Crystal Palace supporter and this Thursday he headlines the club’s annual comedy night at Fairfield Halls, with money going to the Crystal Palace Academy. It probably won’t be the full Force Majeure touring show, but one can expect plenty of idiosyncratic takes on history and maybe even the odd callback to classic sketches and routines. Also on the bill are Holly Walsh, Kevin Day and Mark Steel. The audience should already be in a good mood because after some early wobbles Palace had a successful season – Izzard and co should put them in an even better mood.