Nina Conti’s set for 2012 is massively uneven. The good bits are absolutely hilarious but there is not really enough strong material to fill a full hour at the peak of performance.
Even so, it is worth the money for some of the funniest moments in Edinburgh. Strangely, Monkey, the puppet with which the ventriloquist has delighted audiences for twelve years, gets only a brief look in despite being as funny as ever, particularly when insulting audience members at the start. Granny also raises a cheer from devotees and justifies her spot.
The newer entrants include Nina’s daughter, great uncle and effeminate bulldog Killer, none outshining the old favourites.
The good news for Miss Conti is that Stefan, a life-sized Spanish Lothario, is good value, especially for the lucky audience member who gets to do things to the star that most can only dream about.
At this show, it isn’t safe to sit at the front or next to an empty seat if you aren’t a fan of being ridiculed. A mismatched pair from the audience became parties to a final stroke of ventriloquial genius that it would be unfair to describe.
Anyone intrigued and wanting to laugh themselves silly will need to get lucky in the returns queue.