Comedy veteran Greg Sullivan is both a child prodigy and a late bloomer, and this sweetly poignant show is also made up of two contrasting ideas. The first half leans heavily into deftly handled audience participation (with prizes, people!) and any initial hesitation is soon overcome by the group’s natural competitiveness as Sullivan smartly displays those prizes on stage. (Pro tip: bring a date.) Rhino Room’s tiny Alley Cat is both a plus and minus here: its intimacy encourages shared confidences, while a bigger crowd would obviously mean more input all round. Nevertheless, the audience all have a perfectly lovely time, with plenty of laughs that never feel forced or awkward, thanks to Sullivan’s experience and comedy smarts.

The second half goes further into Sullivan’s own story, specifically the addictions that impacted a promising stand-up comedy career so catastrophically that he really can lay claim to being a newcomer after decades in the business. The work of the first half pays off here; we’re so on his side (and the material is so beautifully pitched) that we’re happy to move out of a straightforward stand-up zone into something altogether more confessional, though still with those carefully placed laughs that pull the rug from under our feet. In other words, expect to feel stuff alongside your comedy fix, and hear a heartfelt final message that might just stop you in your tracks. Or not: that’s fine too. 

Greg Sullivan Is The Oldest Newcomer, Rhino Room, until Saturday 1 March.