Al Pitcher: Sweden Syndrome

Though somewhat less pathologically than the title suggests, Al Pitcher's new show is definitely about Sweden. Or, more accurately, the Swedish words and people that he's turned into a rich source of standup material. The Antipodean comic has a zeal about him that turns a potentially half-baked hour into something altogether more fun.

The Scandinavian motif is more of recurring gag than an underpinning structure: between disconnected ramblings and awkward segues he'll eventually lurch back to "and over in Sweden, they...". Having married a Swede and lived there ever since, he's well-versed in their culture, so if nothing else the show exists as a particularly amusing (and interactive) Lonely Planet guide. His is the playful, everyman charm typical of his compatriots, although he seems shackled by a nervous tendency to self-critique mid-show. Flunked jokes don't work any better if their failure is restated by the person telling them.

His instinct is to go for the offbeat simile, but he doesn't always nail the balance between the logical and the absurd. These patchy punchlines don't really undermine his act, though. His cheeky persona is what sells the material, and invariably when he's having fun, the audience is too.

The remaining kinks (rusty delivery, rustier transitions) can be ironed out in time, but for now it's a show resting firmly in the category of flawed but fun. That's the game you play, especially this early in the festival, but in this market Pitcher's worth punting on.