Ardal O'Hanlon

Nova Cinema
Wed 28 March
until Sat 31 March


Ardal O'Hanlon is probably best known to Australian audiences as one of the stars of the sitcom 'Father Ted', shown here on the ABC, where he played idiot priest Father Dougal. Lest you confuse the actor with the character, I can assure you that, based on this witty stand-up show, Mr. O'Hanlon is a very clever fellow indeed.

Stuck in the incredibly uncomfortable seats at the back of the packed out cinema, I could just about make out the star on the stage. His distinctively accented voice was easier to recognise, although where his TV characters have been the gentle sort, on stage O'Hanlon has an irascible persona, gruffly barking out his material, which adds to the comedy.

The jokes range from your standard observational shots to surreal non-sequiturs, switching between the two with no warning. He plays up a lot of old stereotypes about the Irish and married life and manages to keep them fresh and funny somehow, though, for all their brevity and general pointlessness, I preferred his absurd riffs on what seemed to be random thoughts. There's not much of a structure to the show overall, and the kind of break in the flow this causes can disrupt the laughter. But when his gags hit home, which they do more often than not, they are absolute gems.

If the audience numbers from this show are anything to go by, tickets for Ardal O'Hanlon are a premium item. Let's hope that this top-class comedian will be back to Australia again soon for those who miss out this time.

Henry Nicholls