Maeve Higgins: Bringing Island Comedy to the Big City

Yet again, the weather let me down. The rain came on as I arrived at the Gilded Balloon preview show, and I was happy to be inside. Until everyone else arrived, and like me, everyone was scrambling for the door. Mainly because of the heat, and not due to some of the talent that was on show.

The one thing that I have figured out over the last couple of days is how much the venues compete with each other. You would think that this brand new “Comedy Festival” meant working together, but after a certain point, they stab each other in the back faster than a whippet out of a trap.

The competition is on for who has the best press launch, and with free booze, food, and those firework things that go off on stage, it seemed like the Gilded Balloon had really pushed the boat right out.

Our MC of the evening was Scottish comedienne Karen Dunbar. Just like Jason Byrne before her, she did manage to go on a bit. I personally had never rated her out with Chewin’ the Fat, but she did impress me. The thing with Dunbar, is that when she makes you laugh, you really laugh, and when something’s not funny, she comments on how bad her jokes are, which makes you laugh again. Despite her faults, she’s a great example of just how far someone can go in this business.

Having never heard of Maeve Higgins (picture), I really didn’t know what to expect. An Irish comedienne hailing from Cobh, who had the audience in fits of laughter with her homely humour. Comedy is about the delivery and the way that a story is told, and if I could give one piece of advice to anyone, it would be to go and see this woman. Higgins reminds me of many people I know, and her stories from her hometown and her family show you that some people can just be funny. No matter how mundane the story is.

Normally, when people swagger onto a stage and take up their positions behind their musical instruments, I am always a bit dubious about what’s going to happen. The Axis of Awesome, with a front man resembling Jack Black, explained that they would be doing a history of Pop Music using only four chords. Hear we go, I thought. Another group of wannabes. Man, I was proved wrong. They managed to link Rihanna with U2, without making it sound ridiculous. It really was a joy to watch not only them, but the audience as everyone gasped and laughed, never realising that all the songs they sang were written with just four chords. A show that clever lets us see what kind of truly talented people there are in this world. When it finished, I was just annoyed that I had spent money to buy all those songs, when I should have just bought one. Who knew they were all so similar?

Another interesting musical act was Dead Cat Bounce. Their full show is comprised of various sketches, but we were treated to their take on the stage musical, about the potato famine in Ireland. As they reached the end of their potted tale, the three strong voices joined together to sound like a full ensemble cast that oddly reminded me of Les Miserables. I do enjoy a show tune, and although funny, it was also very moving.

Karen Dunbar tried to explain to us countless times that Gamarjobat had two half shows that were really one full show. Having read about them from previous years, I was quite happy to say I had finally seen them, and that’s all. I heard someone say after the show that what they did was the same as last year. I can’t comment on that, but their childlike humour was a nice distraction, I was just more concerned with the sweat pouring off my face than with how many balls they could pull out their hands.

Apparently, Kate Robbins is quite a successful lady. She is a second cousin to Sir Paul McCartney. It must have been my age, but I didn’t know who she was. Her pleasant blend of humour and song took the focus off the straight comedians and reminded me that laughter could come from a good old impression. Victoria Wood performing a Bond Theme medley. You really have to hear it to believe it.

As the curtain fell on another entertaining evening, we left the hot-house and headed out into the rain, which was oddly still warm. If indeed these launches are a mini-competition, the Gilded Balloon did a stellar job in showcasing what they had to offer this year.