Comedy review: Sam Carrington: Awkwardly Mobile

Sam Carrington likes to book a table for ten in a restaurant, take along a birthday cake and enjoy the discomfort of staff and diners as no one else arrives.

Star rating: ***

Venue: Gilded Balloon at the Counting House (Venue 170)

He then demands waiters sing the Happy Birthday.

No, I don’t believe it either. It’s one thing to find enough commonality between funny stories to help you name a show, it’s another to claim something as true when it might be better to simply say, ‘wouldn’t it be funny if...’

Happily, the other jokes of Londoner Carrington – who claims to love awkward situations so much that he engineers them – are more plausible. Even the one about a couple who like recreational kidnapping. His reminiscences on his days as a teacher, such as the games masters play while invigilating, are a real highlight, while a story involving nightclub ID evoked smiles of recognition.

And that’s the amiable Carrington’s show all over, something to produce grins and chuckles rather than massive laughs. It’s a nice time-passer, but not unmissable.

Until 28 August. Today 6:45pm.