Kieran Hodgson: Flood

For any of those unsure about the comedic potential of floodwater, turn to Kieran Hodgson. He travels to Lincolnshire to introduce some of the townspeople battling against rising water levels. Despite taking the disastrous Gainsborough floods of 1947 as his inspiration, his witty solo character comedy is desert-dry.

Hodgson, formerly of sketch act Kieran and the Joes, navigates between characters at the drop of a hat. Married couple Steffi and Owen seem oblivious to their surroundings, transfixed only on the humdrum routine of their lives, while others, from clergyman Robert Shaw to a belligerent scout leader, bicker and brawl. Hodgson’s rubbery face allows him to switch with ease between a blissful series of quirky and quarrelsome residents.

Flood is at its best when it goes off-road, with Hodgson involving the audience every step of the way, sometimes purposely spoiling his own punch lines and rhythm. Two of his characters, Inspector Javert and straight-laced Constable Dennis are by far the funniest additions, Javert crooning out Les Mis-style tunes while Dennis reflects pensively on his life.

Hodgson is a superb all-rounder, able to conjure up real images of these people, each with perfectly observed accents, body language and personality. The only downside is that some characters are far stronger than others (this still needs some fine tuning) and there’s a lot of waiting around for your favourite to reappear. Still, this is marvellously rehearsed and researched material, with a masterly performance to match.