Jan 27th, The American Bar, Belfast
It’s the birthday special! Yesterday was my birthday and there were parts of last night’s show that were pretty special. It was hosted in the American Bar (😌🇺🇸) in a part of North Belfast that is essentially a shipyard on the side of a motorway. Getting there involved walking under a concrete bridge that holds up the highway. However, as an Aquarius I crave adventure so this was only a bonus. Nothing like a brisk walk through an abandoned part of town to get you hYpEd for some comedy. Plus the pub could not have been farther from its gloomy surroundings. It was pretty much your classic bustling Irish public house. There were framed rugby shirts and license plates tacked to the walls, candles jammed into old rum bottles that emitted a delightful glow, and Guiness for days. When my friend asked the bartender what the dry cider was like he explained “It’s like the sweet one but dryer.”
Anyway. For me, last night’s performances fit into three categories:
✨Comedians who slayed against all odds
✨Comedians who need to remember to make jokes
✨Feminist revolution????
But first, one comedian deserves to be redeemed. The MC that I roasted in the last review for his lack of crowd work, Ciaran Franco, was the opener for this show and he killlllled. There were some hilarious bits about his mom rating restaurants and cinemas she’d never been to, and a story about being mugged outside a McDonald’s in Spain at 3am. The jokes were just very well planned, the delivery was très natural, and I was quite entertained! If he asks the audience like four questions the next time he MC’s, the redemption arc will be complete.
✨Comedians who slayed against all odds✨
There were two performers last night for whom the odds were not in their favor. One literally performed with a broken foot acquired from falling off stage at an earlier show and he still had the audience cackling away. Talk about commitment to the bit. The other had only performed twice and they were so nervous they were visibly shaking and couldn’t actually face the audience for most of their set. Nonetheless, the material itself was very funny. Stand-up is terrifying! Imagine getting on stage with the intention of making people laugh and then failing to do so?!?! So I really admire that they powered through the nerves and delivered some very clever material<3 My one critique though would be to cut or refine the rambling about British history at the end, as it took away from the strength of their other bits. Imo, waffling usually means lack of preparation and it’s also boringggg. Prepare and deliver, bb.
✨Comedians who need to remember to make jokes✨
There were two comedians who simply didn’t tell many jokes. The first one, to her credit, had a very magnetic presence and I enjoyed listening to her stories about studying dance in London and living in East Belfast. I would also love to listen to her jokes. There were a couple in her set and they were quite good, especially the one about giving birth to her son. Unlike what her dance teacher had told her, it wasn’t as easy as breathing him out…Nature is evil 2 b honest. I genuinely could have listened to her just talk for a long time, but ultimately this is a stand-up show and the comedy should be the main event, not an afterthought.
Unfortunately, the real offender for the crime of Rambling with No Punchline was the main act, Ronan Linskey. I actually spent most of Linskey’s set thinking about his outfit, which was the real star (mullet, chunky turtleneck, off-white high tops. Immaculate). But again, this was a stand-up show and while I appreciated his stories about working in a cheese shop (very wholesome) and how the MC asked his wife out back in the day, the comedic punch was seriously lacking. As an audience member, I don’t want to beg for one little joke as a treat, I want to be absolutely stuffed! I want to struggle to catch my breath before the next bit. Or I want a long, meticulous build that has me on the edge of my seat with a punchline that matches the anticipation. But I don’t want to starve. Again, rambling indicates lack of preparation and lack of preparation makes me wonder why I gave my time and money to watch someone waffle.
✨Feminist revolution????✨
The best part of the show was undoubtedly Claire Corrigan’s set. The bulk of it revolved around the ancient practice of trying to date men as a Cool Lady with a brain, a bod, and some standards. For Corrigan, most dudes have some growing to do, as she demonstrated by reading from her very long list of things men to do that give her the ick. Par exemple, wearing boxers instead of briefs and being from Newtownards. Her set had the same energy as guzzling an iced matcha with your besties when the banter and the goss is 💯. Every couple minutes, Corrigan would qualify her takes on NI’s finest bachelors with an “Isn’t that right, Katie?,” turning to one girlie sitting by the stage. Talking to Katie invited everyone into the joke. It was a cheeky wink to the girls, a little amiright, ladies??
Maybe it was the three pints of cider I’d had or the birthday buzz, but Corrigan’s set had me imagining a world where the comedy clurb belonged to the ladies. As we all know, comedy is what’s known as a Male Dominated Industry. Even in the year of our Lord 2023, women comics are still very outnumbered by their male counterparts. And yes I knowww, there are some very successful, very epic women comedians and most open mics have a couple women on the set list. But by and large, the culture of stand-up still belongs to the bros. Even as an audience member, I often get the feeling that dude comedians are just making jokes for other dudes to laugh at. Not even jokes at the expense of women per se, there’s just a sense that my presence as a she-male doesn’t factor into their vision of the audience. Like a bunch of dudes are joshing around and I also happen to be there. Meanwhile, Corrigan put her female audience at the center of her performance. She made the space feel so comfortable and cozy and FUN. I love my male comedians as much as the next girl who goes crazy for a class clown, but few of their performances have made me feel so fuzzy and included. I’m not really asking for more bits about botched Tinder dates or tampons or #relatablewomenthings, even though Corrigan’s set had similar themes. Unless done well, that sort of material often feels cheap to me. I just want more of that feeling of belonging in the space, of being invited into it, rather than just being along for the ride. Cyndi Lauper said it best: girls just want to have fun.
Also, it turns out Corrigan is actually a knight in shining armor as much as she is a boss comedy lady. At the 15 minute break, I daintily approached the bar to order another pint. But before I had a moment to react, a tall man bumped into me as he moved through the crowd. The force of impact caused me to fall into a table and multiple people with fully-functioning eyesight bore witness. As you can imagine, this was very embarrassing for a distinguished critic such as myself. Anton Ego would never! Just as I thought all hope was lost, Corrigan was there by my side. “Does he know he just did that?,” she demanded. “Um, I don’t think so,” I replied sheepishly. “Do you want me to beat him up for you?” “Hahaha hehehe omg no it’s ok, thank you,” was my response. She nodded sternly and disappeared into the crowd. Just wow, I guess. I love when a comedian is also a chivalrous protector. Being 5’ 6” and clumsy never felt so good.
Welp, the bag of Cadbury mini eggs I’ve been eating while writing this is almost done so it’s time to wrap this baby up. As a recap: Happy birthday to me. Ciaran Franco, I’ve got my eye on you. Comedy is better when there are jokes. Claire Corrigan, you’re my hero on stage and off. Consider this a formal invitation to my birthday party next year💫
