Comedy review: David Elms: Goody Boy

Even by David Elms' low-key standards, this is an understated hour, a fragile yearning for the survival of his marriage and career, even if they're pulling him in different directions.
David Elms gives an understated performanceDavid Elms gives an understated performance
David Elms gives an understated performance

Star rating: **

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)

At his best, there’s a charmed, romantic control to the musical comic but he spends too much of Goody Boy re-iterating the “nice” persona he’s established over his two previous shows, when he could be demonstrating it.

There are some promising lines of inquiry in his melodic strumming, linking his personal angst to generational anxiety. But ultimately, they just dissolve into ethereal whimsicality, a spell broken with precious little to show for it.