At the top bar

Al Murray's beer-swilling alter ego the Pub Landlord returns to the West End for another session of bar-room philosophising and Belgian bashing.

It's not all tubthumping Little Englanding, though, as Murray demonstrates with a few sharp topical asides (if Britain was the policeman of the world, all we'd do to Iraq is surround it for a fortnight and wait for it to commit suicide) and his gift for the surreal (his account of the national anthem's supernatural powers is superb) reveal him to be a versatile and intelligent performer.

So it's a shame he relies on the Landlord's bizarre charisma to prop up weaker material including a re-enactment of a German porn film (don't ask) and the observation that women take ages getting ready to go out, which even Bob Monkhouse has long since sent to the retirement home.

After rabble-rousing brainsappers like this, it's unsurprising that the audience are reluctant to accompany him on the Landlord's journey to a masculinity-incrisisinduced near nervous breakdown and breathe a sigh of relief as Murray jarringly segues into the redundant, time-filling gameshow parody Fact Hunt.

A pint of two halves then, but it finishes in time for last orders and you're in with a chance of winning chicken and chips, so it's still worth a look.

Until Feb 15, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue W1, Mon to Wed 8pm, Fri and Sat 6.30pm and 8.45pm, £10 and £20.50. Tel: 020 7494 5045. Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Al Murray - The Pub Landlord