The inaugural Richard Pryor award has announced its nominees, and among them is Egyptian-American stand-up Ahmed Ahmed. Here's Ahmed on being an Arab in the States today: "Security's gotten so tight, I just show up at the airport in a g-string." He isn't saying anything particularly challenging here - he's still discovering how receptive UK audiences are to material that's less welcome Stateside. But Ahmed is a likeable stand-up with a pop-eyed stare. However, he could dig deeper into the post-9/11 Arab-American experience, which can't always be as easy to laugh at as he makes out.
Sharing this triple bill with Ahmed and compere Josh Nasser, Aron Kader is half-Mormon, half-Palestinian and all Washington DC. Kader's delivery is too cool; he's at his best when most animated. Again, his take on the Arab-American situation is mellow. But he makes a neat effort to shift the Middle Eastern self-image, away from talk of "the chosen people" and towards pride in the invention of the Arab numeral. Cue a riff on a modern world in which Roman numerals still hold sway.
Enjoyable stuff - but the Axis of Evil tour could do with more comic belligerence.
· Until August 30. Box office: 0870 701 5105.
