Review: FASCINATING AIDA, Royal Festival Hall

And so yet another Fascinating Aïda tour comes to a close. Having already dipped into their latest extended jaunt around the UK a couple of times already, one thing has become abundantly clear: the second best thing about going to see this celebrated cabaret outfit has been experiencing the reactions of those around the room. Whether it’s a furiously fast number about dogging, a song about plastic surgery sung through barely-open lips or a gentle refrain about asking your aging mother about taking a one-way trip to Switzerland, the responses are as enjoyable as anything coming off the stage.

With various line-ups, Fascinating Aïda have been poking fun at the zeitgeist for just over four decades and, on current evidence, have plenty of life in them yet. Founder Dilly Keane has a wicked glint in her eye every time she steps into the spotlight, ever ready to hand out the cynical bon mots, casually swear sotto voce or just admonish those in the pews; “stop clapping!” she tells the Royal Festival Hall audience at one point, adding with a mock-weary sigh, “This isn’t Butlins.” Adèle Anderson is as arch as they come, her headmistress-like manner, stern faced rejoinders and withering put downs the perfect foil for Anderson’s more juvenile antics. Liza Pulman, the most junior member of their trio who has been with the band on and off for twenty years adds bounce, zest and West End vocals while Michael Roulston (a cabaret legend in his own right) joins in with the japery when not accompanying the others on the piano. 

A conjoined opener sees “We’re Next” followed by “We’re Not Done Yet”. Together, the songs are the kind of upbeat barnstormer full of mordant humour that many acts would happily finish their set on. The next few aren’t quite of the same calibre but this is a marathon, not a sprint. Their viral hit “Cheap Flights”, a rollicking odyssey about buying flights from a certain Irish airline for what first appears to be 50p, is more entertaining now less for the outdated lyrics than for how Keane delivers it with a determined Irish trill and utterly savage intent. If looks could kill, Ryanair shareholders would have sold up a long time ago.

There’s more than a nod to Victoria Wood in their infamous comedy masterpiece, the infamous “Dogging”; in highly explicit terms, its story of outdoor sex inside a small car somehow manages to get ever filthier as it goes along. Hip-hop, the German accent and technology are satirised without mercy and there's a look at generational angst from both ends of life with pithy ditties on childhood boredom and blowing away the inheritance.

No two Fascinating Aïda shows are the same and the sharpest zingers come when they opine on current affairs. Anderson has an entire number full of double entendres which, although short, tells us exactly what she thinks about celebrity grocer Gregg Wallace. Their traditional “Bulgarian song cycle” skit is just another excuse to clown around and verbally lacerate those they deem worthy of lampooning. This time around both Melania Trump and her husband Donald get it between the eyes, as do “President Musk”, property prices and David Beckham’s ongoing hunt for a knighthood. And, even if it is a week or so late (or 51 weeks early depending on your outlook), their final number "Try Not To Be a C*nt, It's Christmas" is sung with real gusto in the hall.

The best thing about Fascinating Aïda is that, even after all this time, they are still the supreme champions at what they do. One reason may be that the musical comedy wing of the cabaret industry is not what it was: Bourgeois & Maurice have gone on hiatus; luminaries like Wood, Tom Lehrer, Kit & The Widow and Flanders & Swann have died or retired; and up-and-comers like Flo & Joan haven’t quite hit the same heights. Their shows are more utter killer than filler every time and there’s never a sense (unlike some of their peers) that they are doing this purely for the money. Both Keane and Anderson are in their seventies now and, if this does turn out to be the group’s last tour, they’ve gone out at the top of their game.

Fascinating Aida continue at the Royal Festival Hall until 5 January.

Photo credit: Steve Ullathorne

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