Frank Skinner: Man In A Suit

Safe shocks from a well-dressed man
Man in a Suit, the title of Frank Skinner’s show, reveals Ronseal-like levels of hidden meaning. He’s a man. He usually wears a suit. This minimal effort and come-as-you-are philosophy informs his entire set. OK, there’s a short bit about selling his old suits on eBay but it doesn’t go anywhere or justify the title.
This is the pattern with a lot of his material. He jumps around from topic to topic, his laid-back, self-assured delivery implying that something worthwhile is going on but the material stays uninspired, covering arguments with his girlfriend, Rolf Harris, alcoholism, Cliff Richard (!) and a dash of sexual vulgarity designed to provide a safe shock for the predominantly middle-aged crowd.
A heckler is at first tackled forcefully, with Skinner making sure to gain the last laugh and using a well-conceived retort that is presumably his go-to strategy. As the heckler persists, it clearly throws Skinner off his game-plan and with each subsequent encounter the comedian comes off a little worse. Where the 90-minute set should amp up into something resembling a crescendo, it merely tails off. Frank Skinner’s lazy lope around current talking points are not bad, but it could all have been so much more.
Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 24 Aug, 8.45pm, £17.50.