Tim Key – Masterslut

Masterslut, a fusion of poems, stories and water-based stunts, is in Key’s own words his “second or third best show to date” – in truth, it’s perhaps the best of them and both fans and newcomers should find plenty to enjoy.

For those who count themselves in the latter category, Key is certainly not your average panel show comic, and he doesn’t – despite the title – court the kind of aggressive crudity that can often seem a default setting for stand-ups.

His style of delivery falls somewhere between the unpredictable zaniness of Spike Milligan and the off-beat sarcasm of Ricky Gervais. He reads poems off the back of playing cards then quickly discards them. He slips jokes in that you can easily miss (“I was watching an indie film … Temple of Doom”), then toys with his audience in a way that’s never alienating or uncomfortable. One is on towel duty, scrubbing him down after long submersions, while another is offered a can of beer and heartily encouraged to drink.

Baton in hand, Key confidently conducts a tightly choreographed hour; the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner has now reached a level of ease with his material that only comes after a Malcolm Gladwell-like number of hours on the stage.

If you missed this in Edinburgh I heartily recommend you take the opportunity now. The bath is a fitting allegory for a show that feels like a long, warm winter soak.