Gilded Balloon Teviot

Until August 28

★★★

A DOZEN-STRONG crowd and a late afternoon slot might faze a comic whose act relies on energy, but Michael Redmond's laconic delivery and discursive asides are well suited to the intimacy that situation confers. By the end of the set, he knows the names of at least half the people in the room. Guacamole and fishmongers are certainly mentioned in the show, and a mannequin is glimpsed briefly early on then returns for the finale, such as it is. But it's only the "Me - And Other Things" bit which gives the show any over-arching structure as the 62-year-old Dubliner talks about his life a stand-up, Ireland and how his childhood was scarred by the asparagus and mangetout shortages that followed the rather better-known potato famine. The quirk quotient hits its high point when he reads a couple of passages from an old book called Cooking For Men Only. Random, I know, but very funny – even if he didn't actually write that bit.