Worth catching, even on a bad day

Year on year, Fringe veteran Rich Hall pitches up and offers comedy master classes most other comics can only dream of. Sadly, this show isn't one of them. At least certainly not the night I caught his set, when a slow-witted German heckler lost in translation left him dazed and confused.

Don't get me wrong, even on a bad day Rich Hall is worth catching: his grumpy, grizzled countenance a comedic façade behind which lurks a quick-witted, vitriolic intelligence. And there are plenty of laughs to be had, just not enough of the tears-streaming-down-cheeks variety he usually specialises in.

Bored with scoring points off a US president seven years in office, terrorism and eco-warriors - Al Gore in particular - do not escape so lightly. Who knows, it could be that Hall needs a new administration to put the fire back in his belly.

Then again, maybe his move into playwriting is indicative of a comedian treading water and in need of a new challenge.

Until Mon, Assembly@George Street, 10.30pm, £13 and £14.

Rich Hall
Assembly@George Street, Edinburgh Festival