Capacity: 100. Give or take a handful
The theme: The title of the show is Dogmatic, apparently how Richardson wishes people would describe his character (more common descriptions have included angry, misanthropic and "just a mouth spouting hate"). Richardson, who received an if.comedy best newcomer nomination last year, this summer seems intent on rounding out his personality for the public. He's not a misanthrope – he just dislikes selfish people (a more succinct phrase is applied in the show). And he does affable charm as well, you know.
High point: With the audience rapt, pretty much everything went down well: from his fascination with flans, to a series of imaginary characters populating his Swindon bachelor pad. The Swindon reference is key; it's his current home (not many successful comics are likely to claim the same) and he ribs it affectionately, without condescension. It's this positive engagement with life that lends his set a genuine warmth. His positivity even extends to paying tax, though in this current political climate he's sensible to dress it up with a degree of crudity, viz: "I love paying tax so much, the sight of a gritter lorry gives me an erection."
Weak spot: You get the feeling that in trying to shed his old image, Richardson might just be trying too hard. He wants to underpin his material with a political sensibility (he confesses to showcasing his new material in front of Mark Steele), but a lot of the material isn't quite up to that job and, by pursuing it, he loses the gags in the process. A tale about having his windscreen wipers stolen in Cornwall is supposed to show how you can't pigeonhole anybody, but meanders on for 10 minutes until, with some relief, it bleeds into a tale about an effete street brawl in Bristol.
Audience participation: Limited. There's a quick vox pop on whether we believe the country's going to the dogs or not (charmingly, Richardson does not) and an unusual moment where a sneeze nearly stops the set, but otherwise he seems to take cues from his own rambling imagination.
Comic equation: (Ben Elton + Doug Stanhope) – Victor Meldrew
Mark out of 10: 7
Put this on your poster: If you like income tax, you'll love Jon Richardson!
