by Craig Denham
Things really did brighten up in Edinburgh this week, and I’m not just talking about the weather. On Wednesday night a few colleagues and I made the wise decision to go and see the stand up comedian Dara O’Briain’s new show at the Edinburgh Playhouse. It’s called Craic Dealer.
In his usual open style, Dara spent most of the first half interacting with members of the audience in an ad-hoc provocative way, encouraging individuals to speak up, with the promise of making them legends for a night. Indeed, the entire front row became his long lost pals, bringing the rest of the crowd in and making it feel more like being in a banterful Irish pub than Scotland’s premiere auditorium.
With the audience in the palm of his hand, the second half was a more polished stand up set with a combination of witty one liners, a dash of physical comedy and intricately woven yarns, brought together like a true raconteur. His breadth of content spanned everything from nativity plays to burglary, astrology to fireworks, proving there truly is something for everyone.
At the beginning of the show, Dara warned of his pacey style of talking and offered no other alternative for the audience than to “listen quicker”. With his rapid, breathless wit and cuttingly intelligent observations, I’m glad I did.
Dara O’Briain Craic Dealer at The Playhouse T 0844 871 3014 tonight and tomorrow. Beg steal or borrow tickets… or book here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
