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mr Diagonal, prime minister of pop always cuts a dash and declines to cut corners.
A peerless pianist-entertainer in the 'Noel Coward on mushrooms' tradition, his witty words and slick licks have earned him exposure on BBC radio 3, the Guardian and Japanese national television.
Join him at Edinburgh's smartest cocktail bar for a magical evening of mutant music-hall on the Brecht-Bowie-Broadway spectrum.
'Clearly a genius' - Momus
'Dreamy and colorful with the insidious threat of lurking danger (Written in Music, Holland)
A voyage of the mind...a poetic navigation by star and dead reckoning (Wire)

News and Reviews for this Show

August 28, 2024 Fringe Review Must See Show Low Down A genre defying spectacle, full of consummate musicianship, humour dryer than the average desert and a vocal performance that was beyond dexterous. Mr Diagonal – Join The Dots harks back to a time when almost excessively lyrical songs told a story with a beginning, middle and end. And this was a set of songs that contained real characters who conversed with their listener, all brought to life with exquisite precision by our live performer as the music flowed like a fine wine. Review Mr Diagonal? Who is he and just why have I come to review him? OK, so his PR must have emailed me and I must have said I’ll take a look – it’s the approach I’ve taken this year, don’t look for anything, let people pitch to me. And it’s really worked. I’ve seen some great stuff. But this? I can’t even find the place either, even though Laughing Horse’s splendid Free Fringe venue The Raging Bull is actually hidden in plain sight on Lothian Road. But an extravagantly attired, dapper gent points me in the right direction and, moments later I’m seated on a most comfortable settee. I suppose I could always nod off if what is billed as “enchanted evening of mutant music-hall on the Brecht/Bowie/Broadway spectrum” doesn’t cut the mustard. Yeah, yeah, heard all that fluff before. I’ll eat my hat if that actually turns out to be true. Fifty minutes later, having been royally entertained by said extravagantly attired, dapper gent and I’m looking for the salt and pepper after one of the zaniest, wittiest, cleverest, most absurd pieces of I don’t quite know what that I’ve seen at this Fringe, indeed at any Fringe in recent memory. It’s a genre defying spectacle, full of consummate musicianship, humour dryer than the average desert and a vocal performance that was beyond dexterous. And the lyrics, oh those lyrics. I don’t know what Mr Diagonal (Daniel Barbenel’s alter ego, or is it the other way around?) was smoking when he wrote this set, but would he please share a bit of it around so that us mere mortals can acquire a little of his genius for lyrics and the ability to form a perfect rhyming couplet. Or two. Or twelve in the case of one song. Mr Diagonal – Join The Dots harks back to a time when almost excessively lyrical songs told a story with a beginning, middle and end. We were treated to a set of songs that contained characters who conversed with their listener, brought to life with exquisite precision by our live performer on the stage as the music flowed like a fine wine. Whilst it’s invidious to liken Mr Diagonal with anyone, there are hints of Noel Coward, Richard Stilgoe and even Neil Innes (he of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band fame) in this set. Mr Diagonal, the self-styled Prime Minister of Pop, starts us off with “Kangaroo on the Moon”, appropriately enough with a kangaroo puppet to help him play the piano. That sets the zany tone for numbers that include a discussion on the health, or otherwise of a bewildering array of the world’s leaders (at least disease is still democratic, folks), a warning on the dangers of drinking milk from The Midnight Milkman, and a quite unique take on Once In Royal David’s City. We also had a finale featuring Dumbo, the circus elephant, that mixed Barbenel’s craziest lyrics with moments of real pathos and poignancy. Two more standouts worth mentioning; Hedges, a song that somehow linked topiary with a popular financial services product – hilarious, accurate and apposite; and Tartan Dinosaurs, focused around this Scottish born, now Belgian resident’s knowledge of footie which contained the aforementioned dozen perfect rhyming couplets featuring the song title – pure genius. But what really took the biscuit was a unique, avante garde five movement sonata for clarinet which was, one has to say, note perfect. Without a note being played. No spoilers, if you want the answer to this puzzle, go seek him out. I’m always loathe to herald something as a “must see” show. It’s hyperbole thrown around at times like confetti. But this really is a “must see” – actor, singer, clown, peerless lyricist, pianist supreme and all round engaging eccentric. Barbenel’s a concert grade pianist who delivers fifty minutes of his original music from memory. When he’s not on the piano he’s giving a consummate performance with guitar. And that unique, five movement clarinet sonata, all laced with lyrics that tell a story in perfect rhyme and that are as absurd and surreal as they are dark and apposite. Look, I could go on. But I won’t. Just go seek him out. And the best things in life are free, so they say. This is one of those things. You might also want to stick a tenner in the hat and you’ll get a free CD, so you can appreciate much of what you’ve just heard again and again. I did. Click Here

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