It takes a lot of confidence to hold an audience’s attention through minutes of silence in a warm, dark bunker, but by that point Dan Frost’s performance had so completely captured our attention that our eyelids never drooped, and our focus never wavered. He plays renowned Cornish storyteller Matthew Drench, regaling his audience with the tale of the Zennor Mermaid, a heartbreaking fable touching on folklore and mental health. The moving, meditative story is interwoven with Drench’s direct addresses to the audience, a smartly comic counterpoint to the pathos. A mesmerising performance, by turns bombastic, soulful and snarky, the juxtaposition of styles is the real strength. It’s like ‘Poldark’ crossed with ‘Toast of London’, only better.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Andy Leask]