Ricky Gervais, Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

When a stocky man dressed in black stands behind a lectern and threatens to talk politics, you might worry that you are at the wrong event. If your host is Ricky Gervais, however, there is no need to panic: there seems to be very little actual politics in his Politics. It's the material around occasional political forays (such as Hitler and Nietzsche having tea, or Gandhi being given a metaphorical dressing-down) that provides the meat of this show, meat that hangs loosely and effortlessly on the bones of the skeleton title.

When Politics was shown as a work in progress at The Soho Theatre in London, Hitler and Nietzsche were part of the opening material. In this show, they appeared after 20 minutes or so, once Gervais had dealt with the fans who recognise him as David Brent, the ludicrous inclusion of The Vicar of Dibley in the last stages of the BBC's search for the best sitcom and those infamous Golden Globes. Like the few extra pounds that Gervais carries around his waistline, this padding of the material makes him look the part - the part being that of the man down the pub who tells great stories. Mark Lamarr once said that there is no one funnier than the man down the pub because he feels no pressure. Gervais is that relaxed performer, who knows that his material may not be the most sophisticated but enjoys it, and enjoys watching others enjoy it.

A good comedian lets the humour speak for itself, an ability that Gervais demonstrated to great effect when he described a Terrence Higgins Trust leaflet about alternatives to anal sex. Puerile? Certainly. But in his hands, hilarious. Unsurprisingly, the political material he did essay was of the un-PC variety. There was little apology for this, and it was left to the individual to add irony, according to his or her own preconceptions. There was no guidance from Gervais as to how one should react to the idea that African countries have independence to blame for their economic woes, or that homosexuality was legalised for 16-year-olds by a self-interested older generation.

Gervais's targets are predictable; those lined up for "the pop" include the ubiquitous Stephen Hawking, Thora Hird, Boy George and Ben Elton. Compared with what Stewart Lee is working on in his comeback stand-up routine, it's a mild ribbing of Elton, but his emergence as a figure of fun rankles slightly. It is worth stressing to new comedy audiences that there is more to Elton than Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborations.

Politics doesn't have as strong a theme as Animals, Gervais's first foray into stand-up, and certainly it's not as cohesive a work as, say, Chris Addison's canter through evolution, The Ape That Got Lucky. Nevertheless, like government, it works in spite of itself. The main criticism levelled at the show thus far is that it is too short. Straining to reach an hour-plus is not an aim in itself, but certainly there is an abrupt feel to the climax and the "encore" is clumsy in its search for the final punchline. "Is that the end of the show?" one woman asked. She was not the only one to be perplexed.

Touring to 22 April