There's a point in the show when David Cross – alternative comedian, probably best known to the masses for his wonderful performance in unfairly-cancelled sitcom Arrested Development – makes an off-the-cuff remark to the audience about the reviews of his latest London run "not being great."
Not that hecklerspray wants to join the consensus, but maybe some of those other reviewers might have been onto something. Don't get us wrong – David Cross is possibly one of the best stand-ups in the world today. It's just that anyone expecting the sort of scintillating, 90-minute-plus comedy assault heard on his albums Shut Up You Fucking Baby or It's Not Funny might find themselves a little disappointed.
The problem? Well, that lies in the show's subtitle: And Friends. David Cross And Friends. Not to worry, though, hecklerspray thought as we took our seat. Surely these 'friends' will be the support acts, warming up the audience before the man himself emerges for a full-on hilarity whirlwind that'll last the rest of the evening. Surely this show won't just be a bunch of lesser-known comedians with David Cross basically acting as compere? Surely that wouldn't the case? Right?
Right?
Oh, we suspect you already know the answer.
Cross himself probably managed half-an-hour of (fairly funny) material in between introducing the other acts. He's an undeniably talented performer, and tonight's display isn't just the "shapeless and lacklustre routines about pissing elephants and whether there is gravity in heaven" that The Guardian recently derided. It ain't genius – and it's certainly not on a par with his previous, take-no-prisoners blitzkrieg – but it ain't terrible either. Acceptable for an amateur comedian? Yep. For someone as wonderful as Cross? There's that 'disappointment' sensation again…
It's not that the other acts themselves – Todd Barry, Kristen Schall and Eugene Mirman – are bad. In fact, there are moments where they virtually overshadow the main man himself. Barry is a master of the deadpan drawl, Mirman is darkly surreal without being self-conscious, and Kristen Schall is without doubt a star in the making. All three are definitely worth catching live.
The fact is this: it's not so much the content of the show that's the problem – more the context. In the same way that you'd feel cheated if you went to a Beatles gig in which they played two songs and allowed Ringo a 70-minute solo drum session in the middle, you may feel upset by only catching fleeting appearances from the comedian you paid money to see. Hell – maybe the blame for all this should be laid squarely at the feet of the PR people; the guys who laid out the newspaper ads and stuck up the posters heralding Cross's 'big return' to the UK. There's just a whiff of false pretence about the whole thing, that's all.
All of this aside, if you do fancy an evening of top-rate comedy, you could do a lot, lot worse. Just don't go expecting a David Cross extravaganza – and prepare yourself to give some great, lesser-known comedians a chance – and you'll have a wail of a time.
Drinks are a bit pricey, mind …
David Cross And Friends is running at the 100 Club, Oxford Street, London, until the 30th June. If you mention hecklerspray on the door, you will get absolutely no discount whatsoever. And possibly a funny look.