The Duke @ Pleasance Upstairs

It's never quite clear how many of Shon Dale-Jones' stories are true, and how many of them are as unlikely as, say, Anglesey unhitching itself from mainland Wales and setting sail for Iceland. Dale-Jones leads with the disclaimer that the show is built from fact and fiction, and although his casual delivery is bumbling at times – he teases himself for stumbling over grammar and asks, several times, "So.. where were we?" – it's doubtful he's ever far from the path. 

The narrative revolves around an elusive piece of porcelain, but ruminates more deeply over troubling ideas of worth and cost. How does sentimental value measure up against a sack of dirty cash? Is any price too high to cheer up his lonely, widowed mother? For what paycheck should he compromise ten years' of creative integrity? As he puts it, we're all just humans, trying to stay afloat... but some far more literally than others. Gently, he nudges these open-ended questions towards graver scenarios: at what cost do we turn away from headlines of another sunken refugee boat in the Mediterranean? How much did those refugees pay for the promise of safety? He declares his faith in our ability to love and to care, but is at his most acerbic when reprimanding an audience member for checking their phone: "I know some people are more important than others," he shrugs. 

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The Duke, 5-27 Aug, Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs, 2pm, £5