Nothing clever about this joke

Patrick Monahan – Time Bandit
Underbelly, Cowgate

CALLING Patrick Monahan "the smartest comic at the Fringe", as his poster proclaims, is a bit like calling Madonna an accomplished actress.

The central theme of tonight's show is time. Here is the first mistake. No-one has ever heard anything amusing that involved any mention of time. Mistake number two is that Monahan has done little in the way of preparation for this show, most of which involves him "bantering" with the audience. Save for two moments, the material that does seem prepared is clichéd and poorly delivered. This evening he is extremely lucky to have been blessed with a kind audience.

Patrick Monahan really is a time bandit – I'm never going to get that hour back.

Until August 24