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Published on February 10th, 2012 | by Amanda

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Comedy Review: Trinity Arts Festival Monday night comedy @ The International

When the opportunity to spend a few hours in the company of college students came along, I of course jumped at the chance, hoping it would make me feel infinitely younger than my 27 years – throw a couple of comedians and the International Comedy Club into the mix and I’m sold. Which is why I found myself sitting at the International on a Monday night for the kick-off of the Trinity Arts Festival. On the line up was the fab Marcus O’Laoire as MC, Kieran Lawless (who stepped up to the plate at the last minute I must add), Chris Kent, Andrew Stanley and from the comedy society at Trinity College, their very own John Kelly and Francis Breen.

Marcus in action

As an MC for this gig, Marcus was the perfect choice. He has youth on his side along with a boundless amount of energy and dear God that loud voice! Marcus has a great stage presence and his ability to engage the audience throughout his jokes is brilliant. As an MC he does a good job.

Chris Kent was up first. Chris was a strange one for me to watch I must admit. He came across very relaxed but at the same time it was clear he owned the stage. His tales of living in Australia went down well with the audience as did his tales of travelling with Irish rail to Cork. His almost sing-song way of telling his tales is what keeps your eyes on him throughout

One of the Comedy Society’s lads was John Kelly who I think has real potential. He was relaxed on stage and interacted with the crowd which to be fair some established comedians find hard to do. I’d like to see more from John in the future.

Having the craic

 

 
When someone opens up a set by declaring that we should all have an orgy on discovering that there the whole audience were single, you sit up and take notice. This is exactly what Kieran Lawless did. Kieran’s insecurities displayed on stage are endearing. Contrast that with the enthusiasm he throws into the performance and Kieran is a bit of a puzzle! His ability to improvise while on stage is also remarkable. Oh and for all the ladies out there, Kieran is looking for a “regular girl next door!”

The second of the Comedy Society’s lads was Francis Breen. Francis has good material. He is an Armagh lad and I must admit I loved his accent. It was clear that he was very nervous but in fairness I applaud him for having the courage to get up on stage in front of a massive crowd of people. He may need more experience but he will get there.

Andrew in action

Headlining the evening was Andrew Stanley. This was my first time to see Andrew outside of hosting. I must admit I was intrigued to see how he style of comedy would be impacted by this change of role. Andrew is one of the few comedians I have seen that is good at audience participation comedy. He can certainly work a room very well and his mix of hilarious story telling and improvised chat with the audience makes for a very entertaining performance from him. Andrew also appeals to a wide audience with his global catalogue of tales from around the world, this way a visitor to Ireland never feels excluded.

Overall the gig was a success, the crowd laughed throughout and it was a great start to the Trinity Arts Festival week. Check out the International Comedy Club where there is comedy on 7 nights a week.

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About the Author

So here is my bio…..hmmm…So…. I write obviously! I like to talk too (sometimes even to random strangers!) 🙂 and take photos! I read a bit too. I love going to comedy gigs, cinema, just being out basically it seems! For more randomness from my head, visit my blog http://pixiedust4.wordpress.com 🙂



3 Responses to Comedy Review: Trinity Arts Festival Monday night comedy @ The International

  1. Francis Breen says:

    Thanks for the kind review… Nerves got the better of me on the night, I fear, with some practice I’ll be able to make a much better stab at it in the future. Little complaint, you spelt my name wrong (FrancIs not FrancEs) leaving the possibility that the uneducated may believe that I am a female… I am not a female, at least I don’t think I am, I wasn’t the last time I checked

  2. Amanda says:

    Hi Francis, Apologies about that. I have now rectified it. I can assure you that Culch readers are not uneducated, especially as I refer to you as “him” in the review ? Good luck with your comedy outings in the future ?

  3. Francis Breen says:

    Thanks, it’s good to see the mixed gender messages are gone!

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