Recently I have become a bit disappointed after seeing a few household name comedians as I feel that some of them have become a little out of touch with their audiences in the material that they deliver. Andrew Ryan comes as a breath of fresh air. Down to earth, relatable and of course Irish (!) he opens up to his audience about hecklers, the challenges of living in the UK, trying to get onto the property ladder and his lack of success in finding true love.
I hope that he earns the success he deserves
Ryan, originally from Cork, delivers a hilarious sketch of his long haul journey home involving possibly every form of transport known to man. His mother’s welcome to him when he finally arrives is ’Did you get here alright?’. This phrase appears again seamlessly throughout the show demonstrating Ryan’s natural talent as a performer. He makes a number of excellent observations about the ever growing cautious society we are living in, complaining about ‘some prick with a nut allergy’ on a flight and his heroic act of standing beside an unattended piece of luggage to avoid the airport from being shut down.
He tells us about a heckler at a gig he performed at in Watford that told him to ‘f*&% off back to Ireland, you dirty little leprechaun’. Ryan thinks of the perfect comeback…. unfortunately three days later. He uses this story as a means to demonstrate how sometimes people’s behaviour can be explained as a result of previous experience and attempts to empathise with his heckler. Everyone has a back story. I think that this demonstrates an admirable level of tolerance and understanding towards other people.
Like many comedians at the festival this year he looks at the issue of Brexit and turns it on its head by delivering an excellent Census skit on British people living in Ireland. He also describes himself as someone who attends middle class events without middle class behaviour. Andrew Ryan is a gracious performer and humbly thanks his audience for attending his show. I hope that he earns the success he deserves and remains true to his humble Cork roots.
