Charlie Baker blends song with stand-up, as he intersperses his versions of one hit wonders with tales from his life. He relishes sprinkling Joe Dolce's
His affability, charm and sense of fun make this show unmemorable but enjoyable.
Slick, charming and energetic, Baker's perma-grin adds to his large and confident persona. He is a joyous performer to watch as he sings, contorts and grooves around the stage. His interpretation of Rednex's Cotton Eye Joe has an easy jazzy charm, helped by a smooth warm voice that is expressive and impressive.
Baker's exchanges with the audience are entertaining and assured, with improvisation following audience participation carried comfortably to its absurd, lengthy but amusing conclusion. Even when rebuking the audience for lateness and engaging in a spot of humiliation while inviting an audience member to the stage to join him for a performance, he manages to remain charming and gregarious. In this way, Baker's charisma and sense of performance seem quite old-fashioned, in his accessibility and universal appeal, his dad-grooves and dad-jokes included.
Baker's very strict definition of one hit wonders does limit his set list and the gimmick doesn't fully flow into the chat, making for a slightly ungainly concept, but the show nevertheless satisfies. His moving account of loss towards the end of the show is a bit of a sideways leap that, along with the one hit wonders, contributes to a slightly jumpy hour. His observations, such as how the internet has changed the nature of fact-changing, while hardly profound, are entertainingly and confidently developed through to their logical conclusion. Baker's material could be more taxing, and there are periods of slowness; however his affability, charm and sense of fun make this show unmemorable but enjoyable.
