The rage is inherited from her dad. But Jessica Fostekew strains at every sinew to keep tolerant and temperate in a fractured, frustrating world. The show starts with a bit of crowd work about a collapsible bike helmet to take the temperature of the audience. Are we her kind of people? It doesn’t matter either way. Dolphins, parenthood, co-habiting, the absurdity of everyday life are universal. Fostekew’s material is charged with emotional depth and she uses her smarts and silliness, not takedowns, to get her message across. She hits us sideways as she impersonates female American podcast hosts. The show feels frenetic but the comedian, who you’ll probably know from her roll call of TV and radio credits, is in complete cruise control.

Monkey Barrel 3, until 24 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Dionne Lackey]