Astronomy

From his Craic Dealer DVD

More Dara O Briain videos

His show won best theatre tour in the 2008 Chortle awards.

Dara o Briain: Craic Dealer
Live Review
Hammersmith Apollo

Dara O Briain is well aware that every show wants an epic ‘bang’ moment, wishing aloud that he had anything in his routine to rival last year’s Oban fireworks, when the night’s entire spectacle was accidentally unleashed in one 45-second blitz.

But performance pyrotechnics are not really his style; he’s the sort of comic who makes it look easy, just like having a chat.

That’s quite literally true in for much of Craic Dealer, especially the first half, where he invites plenty of interaction from the audience. There’s the usual ‘what do you do for a living?’ question - which he acknowledges is obvious, but still opens the door for a few running jokes, such as the Welsh hog roast owner/operator who made the trip down the M4 just to see this show, or the grumpy front-row patron who seems determined not to enjoy a single joke.

But the questions get more inventive, from asking the crowd what they might shout to scare off a burglar, to suggestions for unusual or unsuitable stories a primary school could take on instead of the same old Nativity. O Briain’s been on the road a long time with this show – including a mammoth run in Dublin – so these segments almost seem as much designed to mix things up for his benefit, as they are for ours. Nonetheless, he’s a skilled ‘Banter Claus’ who delivers comic gifts from any relaxed chat, and never really at anyone’s expense.

It’s not all badinage, there are some strong set pieces here that are naturally more dependably funny than the improvised stuff. Stand-outs include his take on the difference between men and women (the under-fives versions), the preposterous names rappers give themselves and the worst thing anyone’s done on holiday.

With Stargazing Live behind him and a new science-based BBC show ahead of him, O Briain’s got the geek market covered. Newer comics who take this route tend to play up their introverted and social misfit side – as if that was any advertisement for their passions – but O Briain lights up as he shares his enthusiasm for the wonders of universe... or more precisely his infuriation at the quacks and the charlatans who deny the scientific way. Or, as he puts it: ‘I get irrationally angry at things that offend me on a rational level.’

Corpse-bothering grief vampire Sally Morgan is a popular choice of target, given the cheer that goes up in the room when the topic is breached, and O Briain will make a convincing case for astrology being worse than the most hideously offensive prejudice. This all plays well to the gallery, for O Briain knows his audience. Who else could get a big laugh from the line: ‘He was using a SCART!’

There’s a slightly rowdy air to the night, encouraged by O Briain’s invitations for punters to shout out suggestions, which moves the night away from the sterile experiences some TV comics’ tours can be. A couple of knobheads made their konbheadedness clear, but were quickly and deftly put back in their place.

In many ways it’s a no-frills show, without a classic, defining routine, that will go down in the annals of stand-up history. But O Briain maintains a constant barrage of laughs over a two-hour show – and that’s definitely not as easy as he makes it look.

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Woking Theatre. Great show, fast & funny, spoilt only by the constant use of the 'f' word. I know it's very 21st century, but his act doesn't need it. Wouldn't therefore bring my granny, which is a shame 'cause she'd love the twinkle in his eye, his lovely smile and his fantastic Irish wit.

Lis, April 2006

Went to see him last night in Aylesbury - an absolute scream - and I'm still trying to catch up. As Dara says, you need to think faster.

John, April 2006

Speaks so fast you really do have to pay attention or you'll miss 16 jokes. Saw him last week and his set seemed 80 per cent improvised, only occasionally slipping into any sort of routine. Obviously his audience participation ethos can be risky, especially if that horrible Britishness silences the crowd, but when it works it really works and I ended up laughing so much I found myself gasping for breath at times. His mind actually works faster than his mouth, which is saying something. If you hate the idea of being brought into the act at a comedy gig, don't sit anywhere near the front of a Dara O'Briain show.

Jon, April 2006

I've just seen Dara at Bournemouth, this being my first comedy gig I have no yard stick, but for anyone to come close to such a machine-gun fast, coherent delivery of a mix of humour would be difficult.

Tm Taylor, April 2006

Saw Dara this week in Swindon, having seen him last year in Bristol. All new material, but the way he works the audience it just fantastic, weaving the lives of the front row into his stories without just 'taking the piss'. I would pay to see him every night, and I bet each night would be different.

Paul Stuyvesant, March 2006

The term comic genius is very much overused to describe a lot of pedestrian acts on the circuit today, not in this instance. He is a truly a great comic with a such a quick mind it makes your own boggle! A measure to aspire to for sure.

Jay Ryan, March 2006

Superb! I laughed so hard I could hardly breathe Andy ASquith 23.04.05

Andy ASquith, April 2005

Just watched Dara on Michael Parkinson's show - superbly funny. Melanie Aspin 19.02.05

Melanie Aspin, February 2005

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