It's easy to make instant assumptions about Miles Jupp. On the surface he appears to be a tweedy, Telegraph-reading young fogey who likes nothing better than tutting at litterbugs. But stick around a while and there are welcome rug-pulling surprises in his latest show, Miles Jupp Is The Chap You're Thinking Of.
The panel game regular starts off with some seemingly off-the-peg moaning about society's handcart-assisted descent into hell. When he tries to admonish some local youngsters for a minor indiscretion they look at him "as if I was reading the Spanish Shipping Forecast". Delicious turns of phrase such as this transform potentially pedestrian subject matter into something special.
Jupp really hits his stride when he tackles parenthood. As the prematurely ancient 34-year-old father of four pre-school "infant captors", he has plenty to be stressed about, from sticky Weetabix to pushchairs that refuse to open. His comic exasperation builds up an impressive head of steam as he lists his multiple grievances.
After the interval this momentum dissipates a little. His monologue remains funny but becomes more bitty. Highlights include a sequence about Twitter, a reflection on the way some people still confuse him with the character he once played in children’s series Balamory and an apoplectic Fawltyish rant about the tyranny of coffee.
Yet just as one thinks one knows where Jupp is coming from he puts the boot, sorry, brogue, into government policy. It is an unexpected gear-change that leads into a well-polished farcical trouser-based finish that pulls a few strands neatly together.
A show that is not totally revolutionary in various senses, perhaps, but all exquisitely delivered.
Tonight and February 25 (08448 112 334, theambassadorstheatre.co.uk)
