For Rob Preston, cringe is fecund comedic material.
The character comedian revels in a silence that drags on a beat too long, an obnoxiously oblivious persona, and unwavering intense eye contact. If you’ve seen Preston’s more popular social media skits, you might be expecting this signature awkwardness, but it’s outshone by more ambitious material.
For his debut solo show, he engages in some brilliant comedic peacocking: whipping out a series of bolder characters and engaging with clichés of masculinity only to push them to farcical limits.
We have a class-baiting young Londoner who appropriates Patois while being the nephew of middle class chintz queen Cath Kidston; a Russell Brand devotee who uses therapy speak to rationalise war crimes; a barber who takes dance breaks which simmer with k-hole-like intensity; and an Afrikaner entrepreneur who believes that multi-conglomerate brand partnerships can lead to world peace.
Most interestingly, perhaps, is Preston’s arch take on sexual politics. His personas are alternately cucked by their own emotional insecurities, or making grand plans to tackle the sex recession with heterosexist vigour. Plus, there’s no way his delivery of the line “potty mouth, tight snatch” during an emotive monologue won’t make you cackle.
Rob Preston: Amazing Global Solutions, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 Aug (not 18), 20.20