Simon Day's shocking fall

Day has ditched the winning characters and gone for something more problematical. What A Fool Believes loosely explores his world view but jumps around so much it is not clear if it is confessional, observational or simply scattershot.

At one point he reads a first-person poem about childhood and announces it is definitely not about him, yet later he confusingly starts discussing his genuine childhood. If Day was playing a character here, it would be called Bloke From The Pub.

There was little tonal complexity, mainly chatter plus sentimental poetry and a tantalising riff on the evils of body fascism. The structure felt random, although there were frequent chuckles. Reflecting on the way animal charities always thrive, he added a topical note: "Woolworths has gone bust but the lemurs are all right." The aforementioned childhood material was easily the most crowd-pleasing section, peddling a neat line in nostalgia. In Day’s day they did not have Attention Deficit Disorder, they had fidgeting. He became a college dropout because he could not compete with his academic brother: "He went to Cambridge, I went to work."

Yet things often started to gather momentum only to drift off. When he acted out being recognised by a fan the scene was crying out for a Fast Show flashback that never came. Day is a talented clown but does not make the most of that gift here. If he is not careful, people may not be recognising his face for much longer.

Simon Day: What A Fool Believes
The Bloomsbury Theatre
Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH