Mark Dolan is probably most recognisable as the host of the Channel 4 show 'Balls of Steel', where he challenged fearless comedians in the ultimate hidden camera face off. So you would expect hilarity to be rife in his new solo stand up show at the Udderbelly. Unfortunately it left me hugely underwhelmed, to the point of asking myself 'Did I laugh at all?'
The content was perhaps misjudged. The idea of the show is to comically educate, however the topic choices were things that everyone is very much informed on these days. The punchlines never truly connected, creating uncomfortable periods of silence throughout the evening. Instead of rescuing the situation, Dolan carried on regardless, responding as if he'd received the correct reaction. Awkward. Adding further insult to injury was the need to add a reference to something 'shocking' in order to get a reaction. Now I'm no prude, and well executed filth can definitely be a winner, but the toilet humour I witnessed from Dolan would have been better off flushed.
Where Dolan is in his element is when the audience does react. Not because his observational skills are top notch, or that he plans these exchanges, he's just more comfortable. It's just a shame audience reaction was so thin on the ground to make these highlights desolate islands.
If you're looking for structure or narrative, then look elsewhere. A "My wife" joke here, and a sexual reference there, but no sense of progression. Dolan's style is sporadic jumping around topics as though he's scrabbling for a theme. When we do reach the end it feels sudden, but truthfully it could not have come sooner. Mark Dolan is witty and eloquent, but his content is simply not strong enough. Apart from the polished voice, this set leaves a lot to be desired.
