The Henry phenomenon

A lot has changed for black entertainers since Lenny Henry - to his regret - appeared on The Black And White Minstrel Show in the 1970s. 'Ludovic Kennedy says there are too many black people on the TV now,' says Henry.

Hardly. 'Me, Trevor McDonald and the bloke from the Halifax ads is not too many people.'

Henry's West End debut is a fascinating, often very funny platform for black characters who don't normally squeeze into light entertainment.

There's a para in Basra, a shopkeeper in Harlesden, his unhappy wife and a loverman OAP, all of whom turn out to be connected.

At first, their stories don't seem to mesh very well with Henry's skilful stand-up. But everything is here for a reason. Well, apart from the Chris Eubank impression - that's just here to be funny.

It's an ambitious, artful two hours that dispels any memories of Henry's glibbest TV moments. But there are difficulties. He's a phenomenal performer, but not yet a phenomenal writer. The character pieces need sharpening. An intriguing ending is slightly too taken with its own bravura.

This is a polish or two away from perfection. But Henry's impressive bid to mix standup with theatre, without mention of the word Katanga, suggests he's still got plenty to offer.