With stand up variety shows the aim is always to showcase a variation of comedic talent in order to provide ‘something for everyone’. Sometimes if you don’t get it right the results can be very hit and miss and such was the case for All About The Craic, a show which attempts to showcase the best in up-and-coming Irish talent.
Hosting the show was young MC Colm Tyrrell who attempted to warm up the crowd with some “Where are you from?” chat. Although he was enjoyable to watch with his cheeky Irish grin and dopey demeanour, it was evident at times that improvisation perhaps isn’t his strong point as he struggled to come up with material on the spot.
The first comedian to be introduced was Gary Lynch who gave a rather charming first impression. He appeared to be a rather jolly and chirpy character but he very quickly set a low and grim tone, revealing a rather warped sense of humour which had many audience members shuffling uncomfortably in their seats. With his tales of growing up with a loveless mother and hating his six children, Lynch came across as sexist, ageist and blatantly racist, eliciting only a few half-hearted laughs.
Next up was Christian Talbot, an instantly more amicable and friendly comedian who used his mild OCD as inspiration for most of his 10 minute slot. With his calm, relaxed nature, Talbot also talked about winning the lottery and the highs and lows of liberal parenting.
The audience were thrown a bit of a curveball next in the form of MissD, an Israeli femme fatale with a sassy feminine charm who offered some straight talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the sexual benefits of living in London. Fourth comic of the night was Tom O’Mahony who delivered a short but warmly received set with his chirpy, fast-paced humour and stories about the hilarious mispronunciation of his name and the perils of flying with Ryanair.
Last but not least was Michael Porter who, with his strong, raspy Northern Irish accent, spoke about the town he grew up in and the joys and strains of having a curious five-year-old daughter. Due to his strong accent, most of the material seemed to be lost on the mostly English audience but his humorous observations of TV adverts helped him win back their attention before Tyrrell came back on to bring the show to a close.
However the jokes went down and all five comedians seemed quite confident in their craft. Although the show was hit and miss at times, the highlights of the night, such as Christian Talbot and Tom O’Mahony, saved the show from a lower rating and made it worth the trip.
