Tim Key: Masterslut

Masterslut marks the triumphant return of Tim Key to the Fringe stage after a well-earned year off from writing in 2010.

The most carefully planned entrance (and exit) you’re likely to see in Edinburgh this year leads to a meticulously crafted set incorporating everything from oddly beautiful short films to slapstick comedy. The surprise inclusion of a fully filled bath, complete with bubbles, into the otherwise-sparse set adds yet another level to the proceedings and acts as a centrepiece around which the show’s structure can unfurl.

His trademark poems, many of which could be more accurately described as witty, pithy haikus, are still present and correct but if anything this is a more ambitious and satisfying show than its precursor, the Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning Slutcracker.

Swooning background music adds atmosphere while much of the more traditional standup is delivered without a microphone, drawing the audience in and making for a nicely intimate experience.

Key starts the performance resplendent in a suit, brandishing a conductor’s baton and ordering audience members to do his bidding. His deadpan, high-status demeanor continues throughout, even when a desperate attempt to save a can of booze leaves him somewhat less than immaculate.

His love of language oozes from every line and not a single word is wasted. It loses a little pace in the last quarter and so is not quite flawless but, make no mistake, Masterslut is no more than a couple of tweaks away from comic perfection.