Don Toberman: Ping-Pong Champ ****

We’re still lining up to go into the venue and the shenanigans begin – audience members interviewed by a television reporter and filmed by a cardboard box camera. The antics won’t let up at any point during Don Toberman: Ping-Pong Champ.

The premise is that the undefeated champion Toberman is taking on the entire audience simultaneously at table-tennis.

The audience pick a team name and encouraged to use its self-appointed celebration chant whenever they win a point, or raucously boo when it loses one. At various stages during the performance, he mimes rallies with different people. Two of these result in him and the opponent taking the point outside of the performance room. This is now beyond ‘breaking the fourth wall’, he’s broken the space itself.

There is a high degree of audience participation, yet his interactions remain well-judged. Not every audience member would wish to participate and Toberman seems to be able to instinctively detect the willing participants. A celebration with one member becomes increasingly convoluted, punctuating the action with escalating absurdity.

There’s a half-time show involving’ Donna Playhard’, and television coverage switching to a diving competition A wind machine adds another layer of ridiculousness to this Moonlight Theater production.

Chase Brantley’s Gaulier training is obvious in his command of clowning, absurdism, improvisation, physical comedy, and slapstick. Ably assisted by the also excellent Jon Tilley and Darius Emadi, it’s a riotous, breathless, relentless, and fundamentally joyful Fringe hour.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 31^st August.