Two years ago, Jimmy Carr's Edinburgh show was called Bare-Faced Ambition. Thanks to abundant TV exposure, that wish has been realised. But Carr's appearance at this over-ventilated venue, to a 1,200-strong audience, isn't a great success.
His show begins with an electronic warm-up act, as typical Carr one-liners are flashed on to a huge screen. It's funny enough to raise the question: do we need Carr himself? It may also denote cynicism on Carr's part at the mechanical nature of the jokes that made his name. Certainly, tonight's show is more conversational than its punchline-heavy predecessors. It is almost convivial - not a word that could previously have been applied to this cool, supercilious performer.
What remains is the impish offensiveness, as when Carr recalls opening a gig for the homeless with the line: "It's good to see so many bums on seats." When his viciousness and pithiness combine, Carr can still be devastatingly funny. Witness his take on life as a doctor at the Wandsworth hospice for incurable diseases: "That looks nasty. What's for lunch?" But too many jokes tonight are flabby, or - as with the gossipy anecdote about meeting Gordon Ramsay - plain weak.
· Repeated August 26-29. Box office: 08700 600 100.
