Tom Rosenthal: Child of Privilege, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Julian Hall
Friday 19 August 2011 00:00 BST
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Cheeky conceit: Tom Rosenthal
Cheeky conceit: Tom Rosenthal (IDIL SUKAN/DRAWHQ)

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With starring roles in Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner ("You must have seen it, why else would you be here?") and in the Royal Court's production of Chicken Soup With Barley under his belt, Tom Rosenthal, 23, is a young man experiencing a purple patch.

Privilege is meant to be the main preoccupation of this show, a theme that is quickly succeeded by another strand: the honing of his show so that it ticks the boxes necessary to win a comedy award.

It's a cheeky conceit and cheek is something Rosenthal has in abundance. As the son of the sports presenter Jim Rosenthal, he wastes no time in embarrassing his dad, bringing up his past gaffe when he called Tessa Sanderson a "great spear-chucker". He then geekily takes his father to task for using the term "unbelievable goal".

Though the story about Rosenthal Sr's legal skirmish with Heston Blumenthal ("the battle of the enthals") bears some relation to the theme, the show then fragments further with some goofing around on Facebook and a section parodying Stewart Lee. While the latter is understandably tempting it reflects badly on him, rather than its intended target, and proves another segue to some not-so-rich for comedy

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