AN evening with comedian Milton Jones is not easily forgotten.

Just 20 minutes with the deadpan, hedgehog-haired funnyman leaves you feeling that you have awoken from a particularly psychotic dream.

Leaning coolly on his mic stand, he laconically reels off a stream of clever one-liners, playing with words, assumptions and innuendo.

From the difficulty of being both a moth and a sea captain, to having an uncle who is a police frogman ("or did he say he was a French policeman?"), no subject, it seems, is too surreal or obscure.

His delivery is impeccable and his total confidence on stage means he can pull off a brand of comedy that could very easily fall flat.

Gordon Southern takes a more well-trodden route, with situational sketches and wry observations about topics as diverse as Ikea, call centres and hotel Bibles.

He is immediately likeable, if a little predictable, and an ideal person to ease the Malvern audience into the unfamiliar territory of stand-up.

He was followed by the West Country's Noel Britten, a man wielding a sizeable belly and many props. His bemused reaction to a banana slicer purchased in the US and his struggle with some highly suspect diet books had the audience in stitches.

The evening was held together by compere Kevin McCarthy, who had the air of a particularly witty East End cabbie.

His hearty, no-nonsense banter about the correct way to pronounce Malvern and bargain chocolate chip cookies set the audience on the right track for an evening of laughs.

Comedy nights are a first for Malvern Theatres but hopefully will become a regular feature. There is no doubt that this one was a roaring success.

Nione Meakin