Comedy Review: Eric Lalor - Here! No Evil
On Friday last Dublin’s hardest working comedian Eric Lalor played the Sugar Club, Dublin to a cosily packed audience that could only have woke up the following morning blaming him alone as to why their bellies still ached.
Lalor has a certain nobility off stage and it is almost Stanley Ipkiss -esque -ish in how the maestro manages to morph from gentleman to a quasi organised disorderly comic routine, performed by a gentleman-like dosser.
On stage the funny fellow has a sort of draw of the crowd that pulls one en mass in only for the crowd to fall back in tears of hysterical happiness. Take for example the dyslexic who confused the IMF with MFI and wondered why a furniture store was taking over Ireland. And whilst part way through the punchline, a lone [wo]man, the tail end of a fancy dress party walked in the front door of the Sugar club - if you don’t know the venue - it means you are almost beside Eric and the stage with a few hundred people now looking at you. Lalor simply paused, composed himself and it seems, physically held his breath until the large man in a dress made his way up the steps…. and then Eric continued. It was that well timed - I almost wondered if it were a set up. That until I got talking to some of his following outside…..
Not. From. Ballymun. Defo.
Eric is a smart kid. We spoke before the gig. Edinburgh was many ups and downs it seems. But there are funny man nice guys in his corner [hat tip to gent John Henderson]. Great friends to have. It shows in the show. That said there were bit’s I found funnier, as versus not as - but they were those at which Anthony McGuinness almost spontaneously combusted with laughter. That aside, there was not a dry eye as Eric gave his take on Barack O’Bama’s cousin that has red hair and freckles.
Ever wondered why Dolphins are b*****ds ?
In a slide show of images and video Eric very simply explains why. Either or nothing could prepare me for the list of telegrams sent to Eric by all 7 of the Irish Presidential candidates. One suggesting ‘warning’ we may have to ‘leave the building’ within a certain amount of time. A side track you say ? Eric’s journey at The Edinburgh Comedy Festival where, hiding in dark alleys as a means to handing out flyers for his own gig has somehow been churned into some of the freshest and funniest material I have heard in such a long time. Of course all the subjects somehow join up [and do so very well btw], but then what else would you expect from Dublin’s hardest working comedian.
On a serious note ? When you realise Eric himself picked all of the songs that were played pre show and interval - you get a just a hint of how much work the man puts into making your and my night at Here! No Evil what it is. That, in part I have to admit is what makes it worth every cent of the €15 ticket I paid. The other reason ? The tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks.
- Eric Lalor plays Here! No Evil @ The Abbey Tavern, Howth November 26th, Saturday.
- doors 7.30. tickets 15€ - Steve Cummins is the MC and Danny Dowling is also on the bill. I think I’ll go. Again.
- Facebook.com/Eric Lalor
About the Author
Peter Horticulturist. Yapper. Gardener. Human. Landscaper. Loves coffee. Dublin. Makes gardens. Radio Podcasts The @Sodshow. Lives in a tree in Dublin @DoneganGardens or www.doneganlandscaping.com
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