Yianni in Think Big

On the 25th of August, Yianni Agisilaou will play the EICC. Twelve-hundred people may or may not be watching. The venue is usually reserved for comics infinitely better known than him, but Agisilaou is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

This kamikaze stunt forms the basis of his Free Fringe hour, and it's also the main reason this show is worth seeing. Think Big acts as a prologue to the main event, comprising an earnest treatise on self-belief and following dreams that, depending on what happens at the EICC, will be justified or completely debunked.

Yet for someone so well-versed in the tenets of self-help, Agisilaou seems extremely unsure of himself. At today's gig he gets talking to a crowd member who turns out to be an aspiring comic, which sets him off on a spiral of explaining his jokes, pointing out the ones that flop, and telling us that these are things no good comedian should do. It may suit the theme of 'flawdacity' (the audacity to reveal your flaws – one of a few neologisms he coins) but it deadens the impact of his material.

The Australian gives a good account of his intelligence, affability and knack for unfurling big, effective analogies. He also makes some valid points about sour grapes and what bitching really means. There's heart and pluck and honesty here, but ultimately Agisilaou airs little of the comic instincts that most EICC headliners boast. When the 25th rolls around (with a completely different set) he'll need to bring out the big guns.