The show’s title is accurate in that the two comedians who perform in it are indeed Irish, but the idea that this has anything to do with “championship comedy” is a misleading one. Elaine Gallagher and Seamus Stackpoole each perform a stand-up set, and while they might be in competition with each other they don’t act like it.
An overall pleasant experience.
Elaine’s set starts with some awkward crowd work routines - she admits she found them on Ask Jeeves, which gets a few chuckles out of the audience. While she does warn at the beginning that “this isn’t comedy,” the energy in the room doesn’t pick up in pace and stays with a slightly-awkward-schoolgirl sense of humor. She talks on peeing, fiddle comedy (“fiddledy”) and being a female comedian. She’s unafraid to tackle politics and stereotypes, although the puns and jokes she makes are hardly causing much laughter.
Seamus follows with an upbeat, lively energy which provides a welcome lift in the crowd’s spirits after Elaine’s low-energy performance. The Limerick-born comedian jokes on his rural upbringings and catholic family with hilarious impressions and questions about life and religion- ‘what is “amen”?’ He jokes mercilessly about his round frame and funny experiences trying to lose weight as he refers to himself as a ferrero rocher in the world of treadmill-bound “gym creatures.”
While Elaine’s slightly awkward set could improve in its levels of energy and quality of jokes, the awkwardness is funny and touching and will surely improve with practice. Seamus seems more confident and at ease with the crowd, and his positive energy in the second half of the performance makes up for the slowness of the first half for an overall pleasant experience.
