Matthew Crosby: Smaller Than Life

When Matthew Crosby performs with Pappy's, his infectiously silly sketch troupe, he projects an air of authority. Without his professional, sometimes stern presence, we sense their shows would be lost to the easygoing buffoonery of his partners. Whenever he goes it alone as a standup, it's striking to watch this aura fade. The material he peddles is generally lightweight and reliant on novelty props, the comedian doing everything in his power to convince us we're having a freewheeling good time.

He's successful up to a point. There are enough surprises, callbacks and party games here to keep us entertained, but never does Crosby strike upon anything particularly inspired. When the pace sags, moments of clarity kick in and we find ourselves disappointed by his inability to take his performance to the next level.

Much of the show is informed by a recent holiday to Russia. Asserting that Vladimir Putin is the kind of man he'd most like to be, the comedian dons a mask of the president's face and challenges the audience to tests of physical strength. Satire is an important tool for attacking the powerful, but Crosby offers no commentary on the man or his politics. Instead, he treats him like a faintly risible 1980s action movie star.

“It's not very great if you're a gay person in Russia,” he acknowledges at one point, a reference to the country's institutionalised homophobia and general disregard for human rights. Could he be about to engage with the world in a serious or meaningful way? Let's ask the glove puppet he's just fished from his prop bag.