Review by Steve Bennett

So this Englishman, this Irishman and  this Scotsman walk into the bar – but how did they get there, what’s their back stories and how did they come  to star in so many jokes?

That’s the premise of Australian comic Gerard McCulloch’s show, and one you might justifiably treat with suspicion: can such a contrived idea really support an hour-long show?

The answer, though, is a resounding ‘yes’, thanks to an incredibly well constructed script, which keeps the pace varied and continually adds new surprises and depths to that simple original concept.

It’s formatted like a talking heads documentary – or jokeumentary, if you must -  with  each of the geographically diverse trio giving their version of events surrounding their encounters, careers and, of course, jokes.

Then there’s the Australian barman of that very pub where they first met, allegedly in 1953, who acts as an independent witness, and occasional other joke characters, such as  the Jew.

All this involves a great deal of swopping of hats and accents for the talented Mr McCulloch. The disguises inevitably fall apart, and at one point his voice does too, providing more than a few incidental laughs and, along with a few other witty asides, punctures the rigid  theatricality that might otherwise bind the piece.

The trio are the broad caricatures you’d expect from the jokes: the aloof Englishman, the Jock in ginger beard and tam o’shanter and the Irishman a bog-hopping Paddy, albeit one with  a  purported PhD in nuclear physics.

A gag or two from The World’s Best Irish Jokes are then deconstructed, with the characters either protesting how they had been misrepresented or – as their government-backed career as the subjects of morale-boosting jokes takes off – explaining how the jokes  were staged.

It all layers up nicely, an just when you think the idea’s been exhausted, McCulloch takes the show in a new direction, constantly surprising the delighted audience. Like every rock band, the trio ultimately split up over creative differences, and as the joke format goes out of comedy favour, our three unwise men find themselves out of work, bemoaning he fact like the bitter, maudlin protestations of old-school comedians.

The conclusion of this rigorous examination of the joke form also reveals the ultimate secret of comedy: ‘Making fun of people’s ethnic backgrounds.’ It’s a lesson McCuloch acknowledges, but doesn’t rely on.

 McCulloch’s skill is bringing his caricatures to such three-dimensional life, convincing us to believe in such an unlikely tale. He charms in performance, as well as the writing, and the two combine to create an hour of quietly understated joy. To get such laughs as he does out of something that’s essentially just quietly witty rather than rip-roaring is a precious talent.

Review date: 1 Jan 2005
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett