One can only imagine what Erik de Waal might have spun around the fire in the days of oral tradition. Or what he might share around a beach blaze with good beer and weed. Just listen to him evoke the details of Apartheid-era South Africa: the absurd laws, the indefatigable positivity of black townships, the music, the colour, the everything. He conjures the most vivid imagery and milieus out of nothing. It’s just de Waal, a mic, and a stool in Shorts, in which he weaves anecdotes and African legends into 60 minutes of captivating storytelling. Seeing this with Jem Rolls’s One Man Riot is a master class in spoken word narrative. De Waal also consciously uses his rich accent to full effect, rolling his R’s with relish. And when he addresses the audience, it feels naturally infused into the proceedings, rather than like the show is being put of momentary hold. May the man come yet again next year.

Three and a half out of five stars.