Mark Watson: 50 Years Before Death And The Awful Prospect Of Eternity, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh,

Ageing one year for every minute of the show theoretically takes Watson through the rest of his lifespan. This show is by no means morbid, though, even with Watson's cynical approach ("They say life begins at 40; the bad news is, it doesn't"). His main pontification on death is to remark that all of us somewhere still believe there's a chance we might not die: "Maybe there's some kind of loophole." Hearing the 25-year-old acknowledge that was worth the ticket price alone.

Watson is an engaging performer who pulls the audience towards him. Tonight he recognised his old teachers in the audience, adding to the atmosphere of familiarity and bonhomie. The structure succeeds insofar as each decade that passes prompts a good related opening line from Watson before he launches into more general annoyances, such as the "delete all" capacity of a mobile phone ("Useful if everyone you know dies, I suppose; good to get them off the sim card") and the widespread use of "whatever".

A magical hour hosted by a real charmer.

To 29 August (0131-556 6550)