Arthur Smith promises "an account of my own descent into hell punctuated by an intense lecture on medieval Italian literature". Sounds like fun - but it's not quite what Smith delivers. The show is at its best when drawing parallels between Dante's exploration of hell and Smith's bout of alcohol-induced pancreatitis. But (at the behest, says Smith, of his producer) that potent tragicomic cocktail is diluted with panto-esque interludes courtesy of camp sidekick Virgil Tompkinson, played by Adam Wide.
In some respects, this is a bold show from Smith. In the (very short) second half, he sets the half-assed tomfoolery aside, and concentrates on the confessional. Alcohol was his Beatrice - a love for which, ultimately, he went through hell. Quitting it has inspired philosophical meditation: death may be fine for believers, he says, but "what about those of us who fear that the hokey-cokeyreally is what it's all about?" That's a one-liner from comic heaven, stupid and profound in equal measure.
But, given that Smith has something heartfelt to say, the diversions into slapstick and chit-chat are frustrating. Time spent on mucking about with Wide might better have been spent establishing a more persuasive connection between Dante's journey and Smith's.
When Smith commits to his premise, the show yields a rich comic harvest. I loved his ruthlessly unsentimental translation of Dante's opening line ("I'm old, I'm fucked and I'm in a forest"), which haunts the show. More such emotional honesty, about his passion for Dante as well as his booze blow-out, and the show might yet make a towering - rather than merely a flickering - Inferno.
· Until January 2. Box office: 0870 060 6637.
