Derek Mitchell: Goblin @ Pleasance

Derek Mitchell's Goblin is a strange beast: a rollercoaster ride with multiple characters, locations and time stamps, fusing comedy and melodrama. It's ambitious, but somewhat bewildering.

The characterisation of the central character, Eliot, is very well observed. As a young teen he has a super-charged articulacy – hyper-alert, and acutely, painfully self-conscious. He's terrified of being a cliche, but with big eyes ringed in kohl, long black hair and skinny jeans, he's a classic emo kid. Eliot meets Max, a much older English guy who's staying in his small Midwest town. The red flags are there for all to see, but Eliot is too vulnerable, too needy and too naïve to heed the warning signs. Their relationship continues over the years, and for a long time Eliot's innate sweetness endures, but gradually and then all at once, the light goes out in his eyes.

The texture of small-town American life is vividly evoked – Eliot's brother the high school star; Mia, his best friend who's got an escape route out of town, heading for Harvard. But the British elements feel oddly random. Why is Max British, and why Brighton for their final flight from the authorities? Mitchell may be hoping to connect with a British audience (and a gag about the weather does get a big laugh) but it feels a puzzling choice, an incongruity that breaks the spell.

Tonally the show is messy: Max is too ludicrously villainous to sit comfortably alongside the naturalism of Eliot's characterisation and the combination of melodrama and absurdity isn't always a happy one. Performers like Cole Escola prove that it's possible to do both, but it's a high wire act. Given the commitment of Mitchell's performance, though, and with such a strong central character, this show will grow and grow.

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Derek Mitchell: Goblin, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two), until 25 Aug, 6.55pm, £8-10