Addy Van Der Borgh: Advanced Mumbo Jumbo

Addy Van Der Borgh is a playful clown, a lovable tigger with a passion for the harmonica (an instrument he plays with great élan throughout the show). With a distinctly European feel he leads us through the absurdities inherent in our usage of certain words – a phenomenon he charmingly calls "wordy weirdness".

A gas man who will "endeavour" to return on Saturday gets the full-blown "my liege" treatment – apparently his note should have been left on a gilded scroll where the word would be more at home. The concept of watching a stranger’s bag is funnily deconstructed, as is the idea of ‘twinning’ towns (a highly romanticised way of saying ‘linked’). It’s strong material and Van Der Borgh performs it with an energetic elasticity that is constantly engaging.

A father-to-be in (about) 10 days, his stories about buggy envy and "procedural" sex education lessons are well judged, although not desperately original. It’s not an elegant link with the previous lines, however, and this is a set that feels slightly like it’s been made up of a jumble of disparate ideas.

His harmonica playing should be annoying but is actually a pleasure, while a song about a train is brilliantly simple and bang on the money for anyone who’s ever travelled by train (presumably everyone).

While Advanced Mumbo Jumbo is perfectly entertaining, it’s hard to escape the feeling that such a fluid, intelligent performer should have created something with more of a comic punch than this sweet evening delivers.