A second familiar face from BBC's Mock The Week visited the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall this week, causing far less controversy and much more light-hearted mirth.
Without a support act, Dara O'Briain strode onto the stage to warm the "large echoey room" with laughter himself, instantly expressing his delight at being sneaked into the Philharmonic's 'Liverpool Irish Festival' bill without being asked. How perfectly 'Irish' it was to shove any Irish connection onto the list regardless of prior approval. "It's on the website," he was informed upon his arrival.
It's clear from the off he knows the city and this venue, and is fond of it despite its constrictions to comedy, lamenting that audience members in the circle cannot see those in the stalls he'll soon be taking the mickey out of.
Dara playfully interacts with the crowd, welcoming our input which will dominate the entire first half. An invitation loaded with so many unforeseen pitfalls, few comics would rely on ad-libbing for such a large chunk of the show. Yet it's here his comedic confidence shines, begging us not to be shy, encouraging the audience make up our answers if we want to.
Like a dog with a bone, the Liverpool audience leapt upon Dara's challenge. What do we do for a living? Dara was graced with the presence of a 6-foot jockey as well-built as 'your man' himself, a filmstar who'd last been seen in Superman 3 (out of work for 16 years, geeky film buff Dara pointed out that the rest of the cast are now dead) and a zookeeper who once resuscitated a lifeless elephant.
O'Briain revelled in bouncing off these foolhardy crowd members, thriving on off-the-cuff remarks to which he would skilfully return for even bigger laughs in the second half. Despite nearing the end of a 300+ date nationwide tour, he appeared genuinely glad to be regaling us with his deliciously daft anecdotes. A highlight being his statistical research, carried out during tour, which has revealed that the human race finds kittens, puppies and even baby crocodiles cuter than babies. "We are the only animal that finds another species more appealing than its own offspring."
Never straying too far from the ridiculous, Dara explored the absurdity in his mundane existance. His love for video games outweighing the secret joy of fatherhood, enabling him to cast off all else that is 'current' in the modern world (Radio One's Zane Lowe and the film I Am Legend his biggest bugbears).
Now a 38-year-old father-of-one, he accepts that he will never again be sexually attractive to a 19-year-old girl. A fact all men must accept "When the Flora in your fridge is blue." An item purchased having recently received a high chloresterol assessment from his doctor. "Is my blood basically made of butter?" The doctor replied, much to Dara's amusment, "Not quite."
In sharp contrast to Frankie Boyle's filth-ridden set earlier this week, Mock The Week's cuddly host explored the topic of female genitalia in a much more 'accessible' manner. "Tear or cut?", the dreaded words a woman fears during child birth and some woefully over-enthusiastic male contributions to antenatel classes formed a large chunk of his routine. Half-way through, however, it seemed Dara's dulcet tones had lulled the audience into slumber, and two men in the upper circle walked out. Instantly distracted by their departure, Dara nearly fluffed his own gag.
Most comics might ignore two men voting with their feet, but Dara addressed it directly. "What was their problem?" O'Briain's honesty was admirable, disturbed by the walk out, he shook the audience back to life with a noticable injection of laugh-per-minute energy. It is certainly no mean feat to keep a weary late night Thursday evening crowd alert, especially one tasked with keeping up with Dara's fast-paced delivery, like an excitable schoolboy who just can't get his words out quickly enough.
Within ten minutes Dara had us eating out of the palm of his hand, topped off with the astute conclusion that he was glad the stoney faced "presbyterian grandmother" sat in the circle, clearly to blame for earlier stifling our laughter, had walked out leaving the quick-witted comic free to entertain his crowd.
7/10 A real highlight of the Liverpool Irish Festival
For more information on upcoming shows please visit www.liverpoolphil.com
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