Do not go to this Tim Vine show hoping to learn the secret of the universe. Do not even go to this Tim Vine show hoping to learn about Tim Vine. Go to this Tim Vine show to grin like an idiot.
The punmeister’s latest set is entitled Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim to You, but the Mary Poppins theme is quickly discarded after a fusillade of chimney-based wordplay. It is then on with 80 minutes of daft songs, stupid prop gags and one-liners.
“I decided to sell my Hoover. Well, it was just collecting dust,” he says in trademark rapid-fire fashion. This quip won last year’s Funniest Joke of the Edinburgh Fringe award and there are plenty more where that came from. He recently performed in a fertility clinic: “I got a standing ovulation.”
The frivolity could be relentless but there is light, shade and structure here. Even the duff jokes seemed planted to give his fans time to recompose themselves.
Incidentally, the audience is almost as fascinating as the star. It is rare cross section for live comedy, ranging from teens to grans. But then Vine is a rare cross section himself, combining Count Arthur Strong’s music hall style with Harry Hill’s hyperactive surrealism.
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Towards the end Vine repeatedly tries to catch a pen behind his ear. It should not be hilarious but it is. As for any criticism that he does not reveal anything about himself, that entirely misses the point. While he may not reveal much he certainly reveals that he is a comedy genius.
Until May 30 then June 1 (020 3108 1000, thebloomsbury.com)
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