Master of audience manipulation

'If I was a comic, I'd quit after seeing that,' declared one punter after seeing this hour-and-a-half monologue from reluctant former Perrier winner Daniel Kitson.

It's The Fireworks Talking is a wonderful piece. For geeky Kitson, fireworks spark a mix of happiness and other moving, tummy-tingling emotions. So do stars, snow and paddling. Here, he talks about all of them with an almost childlike awe, throwing in lots of lovely words and deftly flicking from his fond nostalgia-tinged tale to the reality of the here and now, without a blink.

So a line about making powdery footprints in freshly settled snow gets as many laughs as trying to work out how many Edinburgh festivals he's performed at, simply because of his masterly ability to manipulate his audience.

Surprise, empathy, anticipation... for 90 minutes, it's more magical than Harry Potter. Five stars do not do this show justice.

Until Aug 26 (not 17, 18, 24 and 25), The Stand, 11.30pm, £9.

Daniel Kitson
The Stand, Edinburgh Fringe Festival