Sam Nicoresti @ Heroes, SpiegelYurt

Space travelling ping-pong balls, water bottle astronaut suits and smuggled voice recordings of a drug dealer’s holiday plans; you are unlikely to forget Sam Nicoresti's debut solo show UFO in a hurry. 

We first meet Nicoresti as he moon hops on to the main stage of a UFO convention. This convention has accidentally been booked at the exact same time as the biggest arts festival in the world. Despite this hiccup, Nicoresti is finally ready to talk about his 1998 alien abduction, but before that he is going to explain his great-uncle’s unique system for explaining all eight dimensions. Most people understand the first three, but Nicoresti has insider knowledge of the other five. 

Alienation and dimensional string theory are often discussed in the same breath. Nicoresti's conversational rhetoric is his greatest comedic strength which he uses to lure audiences into his warped reality. Run-ins with a host of shady characters over the course of his adolescent years have given Nicoresti a unique outlook on life; a storyteller at heart, Nicoresti warms his audience with weird encounters, only some of which are of the third kind.

First dates in dark woods, invitations to visit Iceland, swimming in a brothel – Nicoresti has found himself in some odd situations. His show deals with the emotional fallout of these encounters. When these ideas run dry, Nicoresti falls back on more traditional stand-up, of which he is also very suited. There are times his lengthy stories are disconnected from the show, putting off the unconverted. Eventually we are privy to Nicoresti's UFO story, and the anticipation of his revelation keeps his show afloat through choppy waters. 

With an introspective look at his life, Nicoresti delivers his UFO tale with a mix of dry wit, gentle wordplay and great humour.

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Sam Nicoresti: UFO, Heroes @ The SpiegelYurt, until 25 Aug, 11.40pm, £5/PWYW