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Russell Kane: The Fast and the Curious review – a comedy whirlwind

Wyvern theatre, Swindon
Cartoonish characters and an operatic vomiting routine animate conventional observations about Brits abroad, marriage and moving to the provinces

A “fast, mental, neurotic bastard” is how Russell Kane describes himself – and there’s no sign the 43-year-old will be slowing down any time soon. Yes, he’s moved to Cheshire, fathered a child and is now hobnobbing with Prince Charles – but in this new touring show, his standup is as much of a whirlwind as when he won the Edinburgh comedy award almost a decade ago.

Which is just as well, because there are times in The Fast and the Curious when it’s his hyperactive manner that makes an impression rather than the jokes. His gags about binary personality types, drawing on his opposites-attract relationship with wife Lindsey, rely on strenuous generalisations. The Mallorca holiday routine recycles well-worn Brits-on-the-piss cliches. His contribution to that burgeoning standup sub-genre, the anecdote about going weak-kneed in the presence of royalty, conforms to starstruck convention.

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