Tom Rhodes: Colossus

A darling of Comedy Central in the 1990s, Tom Rhodes returns to Edinburgh for his first full solo show. His first visit was back in 2000 at the old Gilded Balloon, where he was on an All-American bill at a rowdier-than-normal Late 'n' Live, the hostility of the crowd apparently fuelled by the beginning of the Bush era.

Proceedings are much more plain sailing tonight. Perhaps too much so, as Rhodes never quite peaks with his collection of quickfire observations and biographical vignettes. Everything about, the 47-year-old from Florida says solid: his John McClane figure, his no-nonsense Argentinian heritage. He gambols and half-struts about the generous (by Fringe standards) Wine Bar stage with a momentum that does not falter, even in the face of the audience experiencing "minimal enjoyment" at routines that fizzle out – such as how comments left under YouTube videos could have altered the course of history. It may not always be rapturously received, but we are rapt for much of the time.

It becomes apparent that Rhodes has had an interesting life – one that includes a stint as a star of Dutch TV. This period surfaces in a section that is one of his more sustained and personal, though he never quite reaches a confessional pitch. Though a bit of a scattergun, the American delivers an hour that always has something around the corner to stimulate and intrigue. His industry tales might be a bit esoteric, but for the comedy fan who knows a bit about the US circuit, these passages are like the show's DVD extras.