Rob Newman: 21st Century Survival Guide

Rob Newman brings his 21st Century Survival Guide to Norwich Arts Centre on Thursday 26 November, a stand-up hour that follows his new novel, INTELLIGENCE. It's part of a wider tour of new ideas on how to make it through the century we've landed in, and as the title suggests, it's less of a joke-a-minute set and more of a long-form look at the things that keep us up at night.

Newman takes the audience through a range of big and small questions: how to retrofit towns and cities for the climate of the future, how to teach children to cycle on streets built for cars, and whether re-introduced beavers might offer something to lost souls. The material jumps from Chekhov's gun to Bruce Springsteen's wedding coat, drawing on figures as diverse as the playwright, the Boss, and intellectual bingo callers, with a keen eye for the clues history offers when the rich and powerful go ape. It's the kind of set that lets its thoughts run, moving from the practical to the absurd without losing the thread.

Critics have been on board. The Scotsman called it "The 21st Century Survival Guide anybody asked for, but might just be the one we need", and The Guardian described Newman as "an amazing comedian" who sets himself intellectual challenges beyond the grasp of many stand-up comics. When he's not on stage, he hosts the Half-Full Philosophy Hour on Radio 4, so the philosophical bent of the show sits right in his wheelhouse.

It's a seated show at Norwich Arts Centre on Saint Benedicts Street, starting at 7:30 PM and running for about 45 minutes with an interval. Tickets start from £21, with a Supporter ticket at £24, and it's free for under 26s. Age guidance is 14+.