Review by Steve Bennett

With his long hair and ill-fitting Gothy waistcoat, he immediately looks – and indeed sounds – like the bass player in a Eurovision entry from one of the less successful Baltic states.

And it transpires that Baron Fingolfin is no stranger to the outer orbits of celebrity. He claims to be the man who shouts ‘Ecuador!’ on the Sash dance hit of that name, while having the likes of 1970s Eurodisco duo Baccara on speed dial.

He introduces himself to us via some of the showbusiness secrets he’s picked up, from the fact that David Bowie actually wrote many TV theme tunes to the sinister truth about Billy Joel, brought to life here with all the sinister mania of a Batman villain.

At its heart there are some old techniques in this show, though dressed up in an attractively eccentric package. There are lyric-swap song parodies, but presented with a purpose –  even if that purpose is downright cheesiness – or he’ll engage with the lyrics of pop songs, subjecting their logical integrity to stresses they were never designed for. This is less successful, however, and can overstay its welcome.

As the lid is lifted on his world, the tone gets darker: easy listening becomes not so easy on the ears, while the bleak truth about such staples of early 1990s Saturday-night TV such as Noel Edmonds and Big Break emerges. At least there is the unassailable loveliness of Sandi Toksvig to offer some succour in this murky landscape.

The narrative pulls all the oddness together, but like much of the hour it seems forced, despite the strength, silliness and likeability of the performance… and the occasional zinger. Plus Jenny Bede and Cariad Lloyd make memorable appearances as the female members of Abba in a joyous video sketch.

The character of Baron Fingolfin – in reality Oliver Izod, musician for the wonderful Austentatious – has appeal for his eccentricity, but eventually the jokes around minor celebrities wear a little thin, despite his best attempts to construct a twisted, meta, tale around their exploits.

Review date: 9 Aug 2016
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Just the Tonic at The Mash House