Ed Byrne, Birmingham Town Hall - review
Spoiler alert: It’s a must-see
Ed Byrne had the audience in fits of laughter during his most recent show at the packed Town Hall in Birmingham.
The Irish funnyman, donning baggy jeans, a blazer and tie, joked about how pampered we all are for his new show called Spoiler Alert.
As a 45 year old with two young boys, named Magnus and Cosmo, he has experienced the nature of spoiled children first-hand during his trip to Lapland in Finland to see the ‘real’ Santa and buying a trampoline bigger than his first flat.
It is a stark contrast with what the middle-aged comedian experienced as a child growing up with a working class background in Ireland.
I do not know whether it was his jokes, how spot-on he was with what he was saying - or a combination of both - which made him so funny.
The audience listened eagerly because Birmingham loves Byrne but it appears Hove hates him.
Brummie crowds hung onto every word before erupting into laughter which died down to low hum of chuckles until he cracked another joke. A murmur of agreement often swept through the hall from the middle-aged audience members who could clearly relate to him.
On the other hand, his performance in Hove did not go so well which is something that became evident as he joked about the rough reception he received when he was there – to the amusement of the crowd.
The comedian is best known for BBC Two’s Mock the Week, but Dara O’Briain’s right-hand Irish companion took the main stage on the weekend.
He spoke with the audience by asking what their cars are called which they happily obliged to tell him. He replied with quick wit and humour to each answer, including Nobby the Nissan - the favourite of the night.
Jokes and anecdotes were sometimes separated with the occasional sip of his pint of beer which is all he had on stage with him along with a table and microphone. It was far from a flashy set-up, but the quick-talking comedian does not rely on props or the like to please his audience who were hanging off every word.
To appease cheering crowds, he came back for an encore much to their delight; something he frankly promised earlier in the show.
He will be on tour until June 2018 and I am already looking forward to his next one.
