It’s a bit of a cliché to say, but Jarlath Regan oozes charm. He has the audience wrapped around his little finger from the start and on this occasion apparently deliberately begins slightly early so he can make teasing jibes towards the “latecomers” (who are actually right on time, he admits).
Regan is a skilled storyteller who has crafted a warm and impressive show from entertaining anecdotes, clever observations and sincerely funny tales extracted from his day-to-day life.
There are a couple of moments where the jokes don’t provoke much of a reaction – he’d do well not to draw attention to these as it can sometimes interrupt the momentum he smoothly builds up from the outset. It’s always tempting to be the first to acknowledge that a piece of material hasn’t gone down well, but Regan has the wit to cover it up more subtly and continue confidently, as he does on a number of occasions.
A highlight of the show is a wonderfully layered story about a heckler he once had in his audience. He revisits the narrative a few times, adding another thread to the tale on each occasion and it somehow just keeps getting better. Regan expertly mixes together engaging storytelling and a tremendously likeable personality in a show that makes you think, smile, and leave with a spring in your step.
