Seymour Mace

If Seymour Mace was a superhero he would be called ‘Comic Book Man!’ and his special powers would be making a nerdy slide show seem entertaining and hilarious. It doesn’t sound impressive, but fortunately Mace’s Where’s Batman? is far more inventive than the genuine 80s comic book crimefighters ‘Calendar Man’ and ‘Mr Terrific’. On stage Mace is an unlikely looking superhero; he’s a shambling, bespectacled weed who intones his musings in a laid back Newcastle accent. Yet behind those square glasses lies a spark of mischief, suggesting a sinister edge to his comedy of Marvel nostalgia.

While Mace take us through the heroes, their villains and their pets, a disturbing portrait develops of the adolescent mind at the centre of it all. A cathartic re-enactment of a childhood monkey magic moment ends in apoplectic violence which has the audience laughing with surprise and shock. But each darker segue is recovered with a harmless, impish smile from Mace, who easily endears himself to the audience. There are weak moments where stories fade into nothing but he gets through it with his amiable underdog act proving that in comedy, who needs Batman when you’ve got Robin?

The Stand II, 558 7272, until 26 Aug (not 13), 1.45pm, £8 (£7).