Ivor Dembina has been a stand-up comedian for 30 years. When he started out, a new scene was developing: out went the dad jokes and in came alternative comedy. Dembina’s dad had other ideas, however, advising his son to carry on with some ‘Old Jewish Jokes’. When he became an established comic, his local community synagogue wanted him to do a fundraiser, providing the content would be appropriate: imagine a modern Jewish comedian prohibited from telling jokes about money, sex or anti-Semitism. Though these themes seem brash and hard to swallow (the two walkouts might be testament to that), Dembina’s perfectly-crafted method of telling a joke – either from his own experiences or from a Jewish joke book – will have you howling with laughter.

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake, until 25 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 [Kieran Scott]