Daniel Cainer: Schtick and Spiel

It was having what he refers to as a 'mid-life kosher crisis' that first compelled jobbing songwriter and composer Daniel Cainer to conduct a thorough exploration of his Jewish roots. He's subsequently enjoyed successful tours of North America, had his work embraced by the Reform Judaism community and been declared a top pick of the Fringe by Three Weeks magazine. Touchingly, he seems most proud of the latter achievement. For although the Londoner has clearly spent a great deal of time immersing himself in Jewish tradition, he isn't himself a particularly religious man. He clearly approached this project intent on preserving a lost culture and on demonstrating the full extent of his artistry. Writing either in character or from his own perspective as an irreverent observer, the result of Cainer's labour is a playful, light-hearted hour with the potential to be a low-key festival highlight. Where it suffers is in the performer's inconsistent delivery.

Our host offers very little context for Schtick and Spiel and is correct in thinking that his songs are strong enough to speak for themselves. The problem is that it's initially difficult to engage with them, the audience having to wait until half way through the show before Cainer begins to more forcefully assert his presence. The likes of "Bad Rabbi," the true tale of a coke-addicted, philandering pillar of a religious community, benefit hugely from the energy with which the artist pounds away at his "Yamalka" keyboard, it's just a shame that everything preceding it feels like a warm-up.