Not Also But Only

Comedy troupe Diet of Worms are a talented bunch. Their off the wall group comedy is fast, varied and very funny.

One of their members, Shane Langan, is a tour de force in his own right. Writer, poet and nervous wreck, he has a style that inspires laughter before he even opens his mouth. A few weeks ago we went along to the Bewley’s Theatre to his experimental project, Not Also But Only. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as we were warned that it was a new departure for many of the participants. Apprehensive, but excited, a group of us trundled along.

Shane himself opened the night, preparing us or a night of high brow literature. We shifted nervously in our seats. He began by telling us the story of his friend who he suspected had been murdered by his cat. The evening only got stranger from here.

When the disgruntled Bear gave his routine, I fell apart with laughter. Comedians brains don’t work like everyone else’s. This is maybe a good thing.

From Bear comedians to Maeve Higgins, from embarrassing school photos to half prepared sheets of notepaper, the evening was not like any comedy night I’ve been to before. It was chaotic and random, it was clever and thought provoking, but above all else, it was funny from start to end.

Shane assembled a group of people consisting of himself, Philipa Dunne, Amy Stevenson, Maeve Higgins, Tom Walsh, Colm O’Regan and The Bear and gave us a night we couldn’t have expected. For his next outing, he is moving digs to upstairs in Doyle’s off D’Olier Street. I will definitely be going along and I hope to take a group with me. Let me know if you’re interested in joining me. For more information, please check out the Facebook Event here.

The next Not Also But Only evening will be in Doyle’s at 8pm this coming Sunday, 26th April. Admission is free and it’s a bit of culture and fun to brighten up these gloomy recession filed days.

See you there?

Incidentally, the Diet of Worms ‘flash mob’ alternative for the Blog Awards categories videos can be seen here.