It’s standing room only in the Criterion as
Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA belts out and Marc Lucero, black suit, mad
grey hair and mic, appears.  "I wasn’t actually born in the USA,” he
admits. "But I thought it was better than a drum n bass mix of Only Fools
and Horses.”

Being a 60-something Londoner, though, is only partly what this show is about.
Yes, there’s some quality "it’s Lahndan innit” gags about pretentious
delis with bouncers guarding the doors; a deadpan aside about gun crime keeping
house prices down and the hell of ordering slacks from the back of Sunday
magazines.

But there’s also a dark, dark story that unfolds about adoption and what
happens when you decide to trace your family to America. Drink, drugs, even
murder.

It’s not often that a comedy show stops you in your tracks. I won’t give away
the punchlines, but safe to say suddenly, your conscience hits you as you’re
chuckling away: should we really be laughing at this?

Luckily, Marc’s next line is pitch-perfect: "I realise I’m going to have
to come up with one hell of a punchline to lighten the atmosphere I have just
created.” Phew. This isn’t everyman observation territory: it’s specific,
startling honest stuff which Lucero mines expertly for laughs.

Clever, thought-provoking stuff. And if it got a few people to google George
Carlin afterwards, so much the better.