Rob Drummond: Wrestling

The Daily Mail wasn't keen on the idea of Rob Drummond's wrestling show. We know this because he quotes from its knee-jerk condemnation at the start of the performance, earning easy laughs from his broad-minded Arches audience.

The best response would have been to deliver a knock-out blow of a performance instead of dwelling on preconceptions. But while there's plenty going on here – playing around with perception and reality, violence and cowardice, performance and therapy – Wrestling doesn't quite add up to a satisfying whole.

After a hype-building introduction courtesy of ring announcer Richard Gadd, things take an underwhelming turn, with wrestler Damian O'Connor, Drummond's trainer for the past five months, arriving on stage with some flash cards to talk about the history of men grappling with each other for entertainment.

When Drummond himself appears, the atmosphere becomes one of a gently enjoyable stand-up show conjuring up a nostalgic world of VHS videos, action figurines (most definitely not dolls), improvised costumes and damaged furniture. Pre-recorded commentary turns formative experiences into internal battles of epic proportions to great effect, even if the conceit isn't particularly original, but the pay-off confrontation with "The Antagonist" James Tyler feels limp.

What's unique about the show is the fact that Drummond has genuinely transformed himself into a wrestler. He hasn't just learned a few moves, he's honed a craft, and while the sequences may be choreographed, the rope burns are real. As he has been at pains to point out, crash landings cannot be faked. The end of the bout feels like a suitably triumphant way to finish, but in fact another whole segment remains – a film charting his training regime, complete with research trip to Florida and drama workshops with his co-stars.

The lack of sufficient seating for the whole audience is perhaps Drummond's way of reminding us of his own physical commitment, but by the end, Wrestling has veered into endurance territory.