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Bruce Dessau's rating
Dylan Moran rambles with an agenda
By
Bruce Dessau
25 Nov 2008
While other comedians wrestle with getting older, this does not seem to be an issue for Dylan Moran. As he hurtles towards middle age his curmudgeonly schtick is sharper, more focused and more resonant than ever. At 37 going on 73, the shambling Irishman could be entering his golden age.
Moran still essentially meanders but where he tended to indulge in aimless rambling, the rambling here has an agenda. Nothing small, just the quest for pleasure and meaning in a rapidly changing world — youth is wasted on the young and their “strawberry jam” brains; whatever happened to perfumes with nice names advertised by dopey ladies in fields?
The star of the sitcom Black Books has a novelist’s ear for satirical nuance as he describes his daily frustrations with everything from global politics (on Italy — “Ninety-eight political parties and they still manage to elect Berlusconi”) to his lack of DIY skills: “I do not speak hammer.”
Comedians are often criticised for tackling well-trodden terrain, such as the battle of the sexes. It is a tribute to Moran’s mastery that he can crack a gag about bickering couples and make it sound as if he is heading into previously uncharted comic territory.
Forum, 26 Nov (0844 847 2045) Indigo2, 27 Nov (0844 844 0002) Brixton Academy, 1 Dec (0844 477 2000, www.mickperrin.com).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (2)
Having been assured by a good and usally reliable friend that Dylan Moran is extremely funny, a group of 6 of us, all excited by spending a Monday evening enjoying a comedy rollercoaster, went along to the Apollo, Shaftesbury Avenue.
45 minutes after taking our seats we walked to the interval with a somewhat glazed expression on our faces - no one daring to be the first to admit it - that we had spent around £40 each on something slightly less funny than watching paint dry. Picking ourselves up, we convinced each other that the second half would be much more entertaining - only to leave the theatre an hour later asking how on earth Dylan Moran is regarded as an entertainer, let alone a comedian??
An hour and a half spent watching a man rant about things that simply aren't funny, whilst trying to thrust himself into comedy poses which were just a little odd, left us all a little empty - not least £40 empty.
There are so many great comedians on the circuit at the moment that why anyone should waste their time seeing this lame of lame performances beggars belief. Only one word - 'AVOID'!!
- Wrighty, London, UK, 03/11/2009 22:17
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Dylan Moran doesn't need reviews
- Dain Obermaier, Chepstow UK, 03/11/2009 21:17
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