"All shows should open with an action sequence," says New Zealand comic Rhys Darby. But not all stand-ups have the wherewithal to provide one. Darby fancies himself as a one-man special effect. For his opening action sequence, he provides the sights and sounds of a James Bond-alike helicopter-parachute-skiing chase extravaganza. Elsewhere, he metamorphoses into his own gurning grandparents, and recreates astronaut Buzz Aldrin playing on the water-dodgems in New Zealand's only theme park. It's always refreshing to see a stand-up who can do more than chat, even if Darby's expressive trickery begins to seem a little samey after a while.
For the most part, the material is correspondingly wacky - as if physical comedy precludes intelligent subject matter. He's from New Zealand, so it's in his contract that he mention Lord of the Rings and bungee jumping. But there's a nice, comparatively calm sequence in which Darby picks apart the physical language of smoking by re-imagining it as an Olympic sport. Elsewhere, his best routines are his most high-octane, and include a slapstick series of out-takes after the ostensible end of the show. He's not in the Lee Evans league yet, where physical expressiveness meets precision timing and character, but Darby's a likable newcomer who shows that stand-ups can trip over, fly away and leap around too.
· Until August 25. Box office: 0131-556 6550.
