Chris Rutter’s Fringe debut is characterised by its inconsistency, veering all over the place in terms of tone and his persona. At the top, he emphasises what a dull man he is, nerdily self-effacing. But he has aspirations to be edgy, with routines about Anne Frank, Osama Bin Laden and his blasphemous, messiah-like reception when he taught in China. A typically contrived premise, it echoes his pervy appreciation for a pensioner, specifically his old, old flame Gladys, of whom he fondly reminisces. Such conceits serve a few decent jokes, but they’re less compelling than his ventures into more realistic autobiography. 

The tale of his proposal to his wife has an awkwardly funny sting. And there are mounting laughs in their respective parents’ divorces forcing greater obligations upon him. Having children relatively young sets him apart too. But it’s the basis both for some limp material about him getting too involved in his son’s nursery and a date-night scenario seemingly inspired by Liam Neeson’s Taken. Rutter can craft a gag, no doubt. But this introduction is haphazardly strung together, the showstopping conclusion stays flat and he suggests a lack of faith in his routines with the strikingly angular poses he adopts to deliver them.

Chris Rutter: Ignorance Is Chris, The Stand 2, until 30 August, 4.35pm.

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