Marcus Brigstocke couldn't do his Latitude stand-up set, we were told by compere Brennan Reece, but there was a last-minute replacement called Lucifer. As you might have guessed from the picture accompanying this review Lucifer is, of course, Brigstocke in the guise of Satan, here in Suffolk in full slap and horns warming up for his Edinburgh run.
You could say that this started as slow-burn comedy as the audience quietly recalibrated their expectations. But things soon picked up as everyone twigged that Lucifer is a chance for Brigstocke to let rip and be a little more politically incorrect than he usually is in cuddly Radio 4 mode.
But having said that the material wasn't a million miles away from his usual schtick. The targets were often the same – Murdoch, Peter Stringfellow, people who pronounce words incorrectly – but the twist was that we were told what was awaiting them in hell.
Elsewhere he was not averse to mocking his recent appearances in the Experian ads on television. But then as many have said, and Bill Hicks said particularly bluntly, doing ads is pretty much selling your soul to the devil.
The scripted material was pretty good but, as it happened, the set really came to life when he embarked on some banter with a younger fan at the front. Later on the noise of rock band started to distract the audience. Brigstocke mocked the feebleness of his evil power by trying and failing to silence the band and then he asked the teenager to try. By luck the band happened to pause at that very point. Comedy is clearly all about timing.
This is an interesting departure for Brigstocke, who, over the years as well as acting and appearing in musicals has been a hard-hitting political comedian and also done more personal shows. Whether it is a character that he is going to be playing for a long time – a la Pub Landlord – feels unlikely. Putting that make-up on every night is going to be a pain for a start. Maybe it would work better as an unseen radio character, though there has already been Old Harry's Game which is at least superficially similar.
But as a change from stand-up comedy Brigstocke's alter ego certainly goes down a treat and he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself. Devilishly funny indeed.
Devil May Care is at the Pleasance Courtyard from August 1 - 26. Tickets here.
