Posts Tagged ‘The Savage Eye’

The Axis Theatre in Ballymun is a really lovely venue. Warm, inviting and comfortable you couldn’t ask for a nicer spot to debut as a comedian, assuming you aren’t phased by a big crowd that is! The 4 newbies who took part in Dean Scurry’s workshops and shared what they had learned with the Ballymun crowd were certainly braver than most. Facing a large home crowd who seemed to know them well, each of the four lads (Paddy Mooney, James Dunne, Denis Delaney and Simon Daly) took to the stay confidently and consistently got the audience laughing throughout the show.

Dean Scurry was the master of ceremonies for the evening and he certainly got the crowd pumped and ready to laugh. Clownish and over the top, Dean arrived on stage ‘Gagnam Style’ and from that manic beginning his energy never once faltered. His sense of humour was light-hearted and cheeky and the room erupted with laughter every time he shared another of his hilarious stories. Dean showed an immense enthusiasm for the new acts he was showcasing and it was easy to see how much respect they afforded him.

The night was not without its flaws and some of the workshop graduates have a long way to go before they could call themselves ‘comedians’ in the best sense of the word. However their material was well thought out and I have to give them props for having the courage to stand before a packed auditorium and try to make them laugh. I would have liked to have seen less reliance on obvious ‘body issue’ jokes and more respect for their allocated stage time will be necessary if they want to be remotely successful on the comedy circuit in future. But 2 of the 4 lads showed a confidence and control beyond their limited experience and I was particularly impressed with Simon Daly’s creative set, it’s not often a letter to Mammy gets as many laughs as his example did!

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Tis the season to get giggling, fah-lah-lah-lah-laaaaaa-lah-lah-lah-lah.

Better hurry up & get your tickets then, fah-lah-lah-lah-laaaaaa-lah-lah-lah-lah.

We’ve heard the Portlaoise comedy festival ‘Hallowe’en Howls’ is selling out fast so if you wish to see acts such as Andrew Maxwell, Colm O’Regan, Fred Cooke, Ardal O’Hanlon and Joe Rooney you’ve either got to pop into Kavanaghs Pub-Portlaoise or book online now at www.kavanaghsportlaoise.com.

When last we checked there are still tickets available for-

Saturday 7pm Show (Fred Cooke, Colm O’Regan & MC Mark Doheny) From €14
Sunday 7pm Show (Maeve Higgins & Kevin Gildea) From €14
Sunday 10pm Show (David McSavage & John Colleary) From €16
Bank Holiday Monday 9pm Show (Andrew Maxwell, Mark Doheny and Guest MC Karl Spain) From €16

Where: Kavanagh’s, Portlaoise

When: 26th – 29th October 2012

Time: varies between individual shows

Cost: €14 – €18

…some Irish comedians that RTE have shared with the world! Yup, you’ve guessed it, this post is dedicated to some of our homegrown talent who have appeared on our tellybox in one form or another. So if you want to see them performing live stand-up the Vodafone Comedy Festival (Thurs26th- Sun29th July) is the ideal opportunity to catch them without a character to hide behind.

Aprés Match star Barry Murphy is described by Hotpress as “one of the High Kings of Irish comedy”. He has an original  perspective on life which he has poured into his many successful tv projects including ‘Couched’ and ‘Soupie Norman’ but over the course of the festival he will be performing his unique brand of stand-up in 2shows; Friday 27th @7.30pm (Cherry Top) and Sat 28th @4.30pm (Joke Shop).

Dave Mc Savage is known for the cutting comedic commentary on Irish life he brings to life with the help of his characters in tv show, The Savage Eye. Wickedly funny Dave is one of Ireland’s most popular comedians and you can see him perform for yourself on Thurs 26th @7.30pm (Big Red) and on Fri 27th @9.30pm (Joke Shop).

Another Savage Eye writer will be taking to the stage in the form of Dermot Mc Morrow. Dermot is a unique act who will be answering unusual questions like ‘Do you ever wonder where seagulls go at night?’ as part of his set when he joins Dave Mc Savage and company on Fri 27th @9.30pm (Joke Shop)

John Colleary is a familiar face on the stand-up comedy scene but he is most recognisable as another of the stars of The Savage Eye. He will be joining his Savage Eye cohorts on Fri 27th @ 9.30pm (Joke Shop) but if you miss him then you can see him perform his set anew on Sat 28th @10pm (Cherry Top)

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It’s Monday and you’re not fit to go anywhere after the weekend so what do you do? Take out the RTE Guide and start planning your t.v. for the evening, but today there’s something missing from the listings…. The Republic of Telly and The Savage Eye have both vanished from our screens again!

I’m sure something will take their place soon enough but, in the mean time, I thought it would be fun to take a second look at some of the funny moments these shows have brought us over their last season. I hope you enjoy rewatching them too

Brendogg and Bolsak

Rose of Tralee

Damo & Ivor

Showing Affiction

The Rubberbandits

Form filling

Here’s hoping the lads find even funnier material for the new seasons. In the mean time there’s good news on the tv comedy front… they’ve got a classic episode of Father Ted on RTE2 tonight at 9pm, that’s my tv viewing sorted so!