Edinburgh Comedy Preview

Warehouse Theatre, Croydon

4 stars

The Warehouse has long been at the cutting edge when it comes to giving stage time to up-and-coming stand-ups. Jo Brand and Julian Clary are just two of the stars who plied their trade at the venue before they became the household names they are today.

This year there were four Edinburgh Festival try-out nights at which the acts could practise their routines on a friendly audience.

I went on Thursday when Stuart Black had the task of being the stand-up standing in for the billed double act of Joe Wilkinson and Diane Morgan.

He calls his act Pale and Confused, which is a very appropriate description for a gentle conversational style which is likeable but lacking in any sort of energy or direction.

He dodged from subject to subject and never really got to grips with any of them, although topics such as rubbish airlines and dodgy advertising certainly had plenty more scope to offer.

I was put off by his continual reference to notes. If he'd made his need for the reminders an integral part of the routine he could have got away with it perhaps.

After the break came the ball of energy who is Simon Brodkin, winner of the Edinburgh Festival Writers' Guild Best Newcomer award. As Al Murray is the Pub landlord so Brodkin is the fully rounded character Lee Nelson from Bermondsey, a chav with a wife called Amber and a kid called Stairwell “because we did a Posh and Becks.”

He's a real geezer, the type to have a pitbull, an ASBO and a benefits giro. Legend innit?

It's a brilliant act and this man really knows how to work and involve an audience. He has a hands-on approach (especially if you are an attractive blonde!) and even though lots of the laughs were at our expense no-one seemed to take offence.

It's full-on stuff, very funny for most of the time, although the routine did run out of steam a little towards the end of his hour-long slot.

I reckon Brodkin will steamroller his way into Edinburgh. He's impossible to ignore and we should be hearing much more of him.

Diana Eccleston