Colin Mars: A Life Full Of Lemons

Colin Mars reminds audiences of that old adage "do something every day that scares you". Standup, for Mars, is his daily trial and, unfortunately, it shows. Though there can be no faulting his bravery or enthusiasm, A Life Full Of Lemons fails in its execution, while the material on offer seems sparse even for a 50 minute show. 

Mars tells us that many of his routines were conceived to relieve boredom during his former job (anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, which is apparently not as interesting as it sounds). While anyone who has earned their crust in a mind-numbing manner can sympathise, it might have been better if Mars had spent more time making his jokes amusing to others, rather than just himself.

The show is deeply uneven. It begins at its most surreal, spinning monologues about pigeons squatting on the heads of sombre statues, before reverting to a more conventional style of observational humour. We get familiar remarks on men's cleavage obsession, the campness of retro-superheroes and the weirdness of traditional adages, but few raise more than a chuckle. The audience have heard this all before. 

Anyone who knows Eddie Izzard will find Mars' delivery painfully familiar, but where Izzard usually reels off a dozen jokes a minute, Mars focuses on his punchline, repeating and rewording them in the hope the audience will laugh the second or even third time round. It's a distinctive style, yes, but sadly such hope is ultimately misplaced.