Ken Cheng @ Pleasance Courtyard

Ken Cheng sets a low bar for himself with his show title and just about manages to clear it. His material ranges from wordplay to mathematics to racism, all pegged on his own persona, but a flattened, slightly halting delivery makes it difficult to perceive much personality. The note of biting sarcasm under some of his jokes could use more exaggeration and less explanation. A theme of the show, he says, is that he’s weird. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come across, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary to his performance.

What is clear is Cheng’s intelligence, with rapid-fire wordplay and some excellent academic gags. The comedy is largely inoffensive, aside from one short bit on autism that’s not funny enough to merit inclusion. Moreover, the show’s ineffective structure doesn’t present the material in the best light. The clearly defined sections, each introduced with a title card, ensure that the flow is broken with frustrating regularity, while certain bits that follow the same construction and logic fall in the awkward space between call back and flat-out repetition.

It’s an odd mix of overlong or laboured set ups and jokes that fall too fast to land properly. A brief hint at audience interaction at the start falls by the wayside. A little more thought and a lot more polish is needed to make this show feel less thrown together.

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Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian, Pleasance Courtyard (The Cellar), until 27 Aug (not 16), 4.45pm, £7.50-10