“Carte Noir! Carte Noir!” Tony Law chanted hypnotically, shrouded in a long black cape like a bat, lurching from side to side and lunging in his baggy pirate trousers.

After intoning the phrase for so long it devolved into nonsensical syllables, he emerged, red-faced. “So I’m going into advertising.”

Having been through therapy and stopped drinking, Law confessed to nervousness about performing sober – so his heavy cape became a comfort blanket, something he could swirl dramatically when swaggering, but also cocoon himself in to fret “Where are you going with this, Tone-Zone? You don’t know. They can tell.”

Wearing a horse’s head, Law seemed about to pass out, his Mickey Mouse gloves wrangling both microphone and a trombone which he played with surprising talent.

His elaborate flights of fancy were intriguing - blowing a raspberry developed into a Second World War dogfight – but while the audience paid attention and chuckled, the biggest roar of laughter came when the perspiring performer bellowed “Cue lighting change!” at the technician.

However, many stories petered out, immediately followed by his own disappointed self-analysis.

The Old Market crowd needed to be able to trust this comic to take them with him, yet the show seemed incomplete.

Three stars