Self-described belly-aching new husband and parent Jeff Green belies his obvious pride in his new situation in an extremely funny set. Now that he's out of his old loop - 'Meet women, learn nothing, move on' - with no need to spend all that new relationship time being nicer than he really is - 'No, no, do tell me more about your dreams' - he paints himself in new colours.

It's all British griping and posturing - moaning because Edinburgh's getting posher: 'I passed a Kentucky Fried Pheasant earlier'. His style is self-mockery, berating his own stinginess in the face of the cost of family life: 'I go to check the meter and there are gipsies sharpening knives on it'. His section on his Indonesian honeymoon - 'cover your body in Deep Heat, stand in the shower, take laxatives for two weeks and save yourself £1,500' was hugely funny. His structure is precise and well-timed, with great recurring jokes.

Some of the best sequences are based around a new family caravan and the self-loathing contained in owning one: 'It wasn't a holiday, it was a rehearsal for the collapse of civilisation'. He mocks the campsite disco - 'the temple of lost hope and retards' - and his new contemporaries, such as a 60-year-old washing underpants in a bucket, with admirable style.

There is some loss of momentum about two-thirds of the way through. There were some jokes set up which could have developed further, which was disappointing - but he kept pulling it back and the wit was consistently sharp and effective. On childbirth: 'It's like watching your favourite pub burn down - I used to love going in there, now things will never be the same again.' There is barely a sequence without a laugh-out-loud gag.

One of Jeff Green's strengths is that he seems conscious of, and plays to, the precarious nature of the stand-up. Two minutes in - 'There; first laugh – and relax' - there's a sense that he knows that his best work comes from prepared material rather than improvisation.

He may say that he has settled down in life but, if the subject matter is slightly unoriginal his take on it is fresh and unremittingly funny. He finishes with a plea: 'I haven't had a good review yet this Festival'. Like his bachelor life, that particular drought is over.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Performer - Jeff Green.

Company Credits: Writer - Jeff Green. Director - uncredited. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer - uncredited. Company - Off the Kerb.

END

(c) Ruth Stanley 2008

reviewed on Wednesday 13 August 2008 at 19:50 performance / The Assembly @ George Street

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com