The Comedy Tree, The Watershed, Wimbledon

Saturday night saw an audience with more than its fair share of hen and birthday parties assemble in the back room of the Watershed for an evening of comedy.

They didn’t know what to make of the first act, Portuguese Philberto, whose brand of comedy often veered towards the surreal. Expressing his surprise at London escalator etiquette in song – “We’re all on the way to jobs we hate. Why does it matter if I stand on the left?!” – he went on to sing another ditty called “After we make love can you just leave”. His most impressive party trick was a convincing Glaswegian accent, perfected to deter opportunist muggers.

The next act, Michael Fabbri, probably got the warmest reception of the night. Anecdotes about girlfriends, jobs and his (long-suffering) cat had the audience wiping their eyes at points. An irreverent practical joker, Fabbri related jollies at the job centre, the bedside of his girlfriend’s dead grandmother, and described a spell when he affixed crucifixes to his neighbours’ pets: “The funny thing was nobody removed them, as if they were respecting the animals’ religious freedoms…”

Top of the bill, Jeff Innocent put in an intelligent, accomplished performance. Donning a bright red Adidas tracksuit, single earring and shaved head – “What do I look like to you, a fascist?” - he spent the performance mocking the stereotype. Explaining how a potentially violent fit of road rage was averted when he realised he was wearing the purple crocs he got for Christmas, and that a “criminal background” had held him back at university – “Who was responsible for the English civil war? I couldn’t say, I’m no grass” – he was disappointed with the audience’s lukewarm reaction.

Compere Jim Smallman did his best to rev up the crowd, but his warm up exercises went on for so long that there were moments that felt like a children’s party. On balance however the Comedy Tree brought together some very impressive talent this weekend.

Catherine Shannon