Dan Rath delivers the punchlines at quite a pace, but does everything he can to ensure it never feels that way, with his deadpan delivery and an on-stage persona that suggests he really doesn’t want to be here. At least, I assume it’s an on-stage persona, this Australian comedian has, after all, travelled a long way to be performing in this particular Edinburgh dungeon. Or maybe he really feels that way. The deliberately awkward delivery could alienate some audiences, but it also complements the material well, the quality of the one liners keeping most of us on board throughout, and the delivery style – and occasionally absurd topics – making what could be a standard set-up-punchline routine into something much more interesting.      

Monkey Barrel Comedy, until 24 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Chris Cooke]