Sharp and spiky satire

POSITIONED as he is 1 somewhere between a music hall act and an "alternative" comic, Rory Bremner has to struggle between satisfying mainstream demands whilst all the time kicking in with sharp and spiky satire.

On this evidence, he's up to the challenge; not only can he run through the requisite number of impressions in the style of Mike Yarwood, he can also imbue his material with the sort of contemporary sensibilities that satiate a modern audience.

The key to all impressionists is always the degree to which they allow the impression per se to do the job for them - some are technically very accomplished but just haven't the material to beef up the totality of the act.

Bremner evidently works and re-works his material to the extent that some of his better moments can almost stand alone.

The changed political climate always threatened to blunt his political satire (a case of New Labour, new jokes) and it will take him time to fully nail down his new political masters.

It's not just the new voices, mannerisms and tics he needs to perfect, he's also working in a political context which simply doesn't serve the satirists as, it did under the "asking for it" Tory administration.

That he is a virtuoso is in no doubt - he finished his set last night with the impressionist's version of a ventriloquist drinking a bottle of water: running through a sketch about a Jurassic Park for old comedians, he excelled himself by morphing the voices of Bob Monkhouse, Kenneth Williams, Ronnie Corbett, Billy Connolly and countless others in a free-form display of brilliance.

Encoring by going through some Irish voices at his disposal (Bob Geldof, Terry Wogan et al), he was an auspicious start to this year's Cat Laughs.