Before the show had even began, I overheard a young man in the front row say ‘I can’t sit here, he’ll pick me!’ Fans of Patrick Monahan know what’s coming- and to be sure, ten minutes later that same boy had been pulled up onto the stage by the loveable Irish/Iranian himself. This year, as Patrick himself admits, his show has no particular theme; it is just an adventure through the strange and hilarious products of his mind. There’s Asda, there’s trains, there’s Countryfile and there’s yoghurt. There’s all the random and wonderful material you hope for and there’s no telling where he’s going or who he’s going to chat to next.
I had sore cheeks from laughing by the time I left. Monahan’s now familiar, but effective and impressive, on the spot style has succeeded yet again.
It always astounds that Monahan is able to build so much great material on the spot just by talking to his audience. As always, he pulled people up on stage, played pranks on audience members who dipped out to the toilets and shouted up to the balcony. Whilst he loves to pick people out he keeps everyone on side. The fact that the young man I overheard stayed sitting in the front row, despite his worries, exhibits just this. Monahan’s shows are more like a hilarious chat through a microphone than a formal show. The venue was quite small for a very popular comedian but this kept it nice and intimate.
This show seemed to be suitable for families too, and Monahan doesn’t shy away from seeking out the kids to say hello. He proves that he can perform to a crowd of any age, cracking jokes about the recent Disney movie Frozen and asking the kids questions.
I had sore cheeks from laughing by the time I left. Monahan’s now familiar, but effective and impressive, on the spot style has succeeded yet again.
He departs from his show the same way he entered, with hugs and high fives. The hour was sadly over far too quickly.
