It’s the second half of July, and excitement for the Edinburgh Festival opening next month is rising. Many acts are fine-tuning their performances in anticipation. I went to the Hen and Chickens Theatre in Highbury to see one of these hopefuls, Simon Kane, who plays Jonah non Grata. It was worth the trip.

The theatre is small but uses its space well. From a side gap at the rear of the stage, what looks like a giant shopping bag reverses onto the stage and rolls to the front. There are several minutes of anticipatory contortion with much laughter at the creature’s predicament.  The side zips open, and, like a chrysalis, a man emerges and addresses the audience. He holds a paperback book and asks an audience member to read from it; it’s a “choice-driven” experience book.

As the story unfolds, Jonah shares stories about life. It’s clear he has put real effort into producing this unusual and entertaining show. Halfway through, the audience is asked to stand and sing from a song sheet attached to every chair. You never quite know what will come next. He might be in a room at the Marriott Hotel, ringing random numbers and screaming death threats over the phone, or he might be putting on strange masks and changing his voice. At one point, we were asked to leave the theatre and go downstairs, only to be told halfway down to turn around and return to our seats.

There is certainly no let-up in this unusual one-man show. If you go to Edinburgh, it is definitely worth considering.