With the affectionate way he talks about the fringe and his ability to inject energy into the venues, Dick Coughlan seems like a comic perfectly at home at Brighton Fringe. Announcing the show to the venue downstairs, personally welcoming everyone into the room and finally coming onto stage, it doesn’t take him long to win over the crowd.
there are no lulls in a performance which left everyone heading out with smiles on their faces
His fast-paced, gag-packed show deals with the various personalities and trolls you’re likely to meet on a daily basis online and, whilst many of the topics covered aren’t exactly new to stand-up comedy, he covers them in an engaging and energetic way that keeps the show moving along with gusto and gets his audience on-side. Couglan, who at times skipped along the line of acceptability with several gags close to the bone, has both a formidable consistency of delivery and a high standard of jokes allowing him to get away with some of the more extreme material.
In an age where digital projectors and soundboards are becoming increasingly popular at fringe stand-up shows, Coughlan reverts to old-school effectiveness and delivers the show armed simply with a microphone and a bundle laminated pages to illustrate his life online. This simple, minimal approach to props is refreshing and allows the focus to land solely on his performance and writing, both of which are well executed. The speed at which he moves through the material guarantees there are no lulls in a performance which left everyone heading out with smiles on their faces.
