Joseph Morpurgo: Truthmouth

The name may sound like a Sherlock Holmes villain but Joseph Morpurgo is an actual living person, albeit one who pretends to be numerous other people every day. This versatile newcomer is a member of the lauded regency improv troupe behind Austentatious, but began dabbling with a solo show 18 months ago. The result is an absolute revelation.

Truthmouth is named after a theatre group with whom—the blurb insists—he embarked on an ambitious project in 2012, embodying verbatim the voices of various real-life characters. Utter hokum of course, but a handy framework for the comic's grand array of grotesques, lost souls, and at least one reptile. Each sketch begins with a picture of his supposed subject flashing onto the screen, often raising expectant laughs before the material has even begun. Handy.

Not that he needs any help, as the quality level is quite staggeringly high. The show begins relatively meekly, in truth, with echoes of Count Arthur Strong then some Chris Morris-alike wordplay, but soon blossoms creatively, using novel tricks and that screen to subvert the conventions of character comedy (the show is directed by Armando Iannucci associate Natalie Bailey).

Character-wise, Morpurgo takes on fashion-conscious demons and forgotten phone-game characters, even his own technician, inhabiting them with such wild-eyed intensity that it often borders on the intimidating. There’s certainly the threat of being covered in foodstuffs at various points.

True, he does plead rather plaintively for some pennies afterwards, but it’s a small price to pay. For a free show this is sensational viewing.