It was appropriate that Bill Bailey headlined last night's cannily titled Orangaid benefit to save the Sumatran Orangutan. From certain angles there is something simian about the whimsical musical clown: the high forehead, the beard, the quizzical expression. Definitely a sublime comedian, as he confirmed with a whirlwind set, and possibly half-ape, half-Klingon.
Things took time to take off, despite compère Phill Jupitus's best endeavours. The scandalously spiteful Simon Amstell hesitantly workshopped some taste-free tsunami gags and promising existentialist riffs, while the usually excellent Sean Lock was hit-and-miss. Only Kevin Eldon, in the guise of earnest poet Paul "Hey! let's share some verse" Hamilton really made a powerful impact in the first half.
Whatever the promoters popped into the interval drinks backstage, it did the trick. Geordie intellectual Dave Johns swiftly came up trumps with a unique combination of daft gags about being in Starlight Express ("I wasn't a train, I was the replacement bus service") and unexpected references to Wittgenstein.
But this show belonged to Bailey. Five years ago Eddie Izzard was the ultimate hip, all-conquering comedian. With Izzard now distracted by an acting career, Bailey is effortlessly taking his place. Where others had tried new jokes, he ruthlessly plundered his back catalogue to deliver a near-perfect half-hour retrospective.
Everything from his jazzfunk EastEnders theme to his Kraftwerk-do-the-hokey-cokey homage raised the roof.
I'm not sure how many apes the gig saved, but it confirmed that Bailey is not monkeying around when it comes to world domination.
OrangAid
Lyceum Theatre
Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ
