Edinburgh comedy
Dara O-Briain
Assembly @ George Street
Dara O'Briain is probably best known these days as an occasional host of Have I Got News For You. But anyone attending his standup show expecting carefully scripted, witty asides is in for something of a shock. In the flesh, O'Briain is a largerthan-life figure who delivers a relentless tirade of breakneck one-liners and anecdotes.
After starting off with some fantastic stuff about the London bombings and comparisons with Ireland, most of his show hinged on feedback from the audience, soon becoming a litany of off-beat observations, ridiculous tangents and foul-mouthed tirades.
The secret of O'Briain's success is his utterly affable on-stage personality. Like Billy Connolly, O'Briain may well rant about the world and its ridiculousness but an hour in his company reveals a down-to-earth character who just happens to be funny as hell.
Inevitably, there were some jokes about the Irish but what stood out were the more obscure things that really get his goat (extreme hair gel and online poker) and a fantastic account of the trouble he unleashed by telling an Elton John joke on TV. Excellent stuff.
- Until next Mon (no perf 22 Aug), Assembly @ George Street, 8.55pm, £12 to £14, £11 to £13 concs.