Comedy Review: Jack Gleadow: Mr Saturday Night, Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33), Edinburgh
As a crowd-pleasing, unashamed throwback to the golden age of variety, Jack Gleadow probably requires more of a crowd than when I caught him to make his act fly.
But he also needs more of an act. Just paying homage to Bruce Forsyth doesn’t make you his spiritual successor. And setting the bar at Joe Pasquale betrays a dearth of ambition.
With props, music cues, audience interaction and the added novelty of a bit of swearing, Gleadow is an affable cheeky chappie who can summon laughs as well as groans for his idiotic shtick. Sadly, his show runs out of ideas long before his 45 minutes conclude.
Until 25 August, Today 17:45. **