Ally Pally’s newly revamped theatre hosts a characteristically surreal and deadpan set by the dishevelled Irish comic
Irish comic and self-confessed misanthrope Dylan Moran played two sold out nights at the newly opened Alexandra Palace theatre as he rounded off the UK leg of his Dr Cosmos tour.
His first shows were at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, and the Black Books and Shaun of the Dead actor dealt with religion, politics, Tinder and other absurdities in the surroundings of the auditorium’s ‘arrested decay’.
Newly tee-total, Moran ambled about the stage in his trademark dishevelled manner.
I might have expected him to have a glass of red wine and cigarette in hand- as that’s always how I picture him – but he proved that you certainly don’t have to have a drink to be just as funny.
Pouring copious cups of tea on stage, he leaves the crowd in fits of laughter describing shampoo in TV ads as “sexual caramel” and admits he no longer has the time to go to “Fork, Stab, or Bleed” or any trendy new restaurants with one word names.
After his routine about cats and their personalities, his comparison and impression of them to a certain Mr Alan Rickman was a moment that had the whole audience in tears or laughter.
Always depicting himself as an Everyman, he talks about his own depressing memories of growing up in Ireland in the 70s and 80s, and how he lost Catholic faith over a Findus crispy pancake.
He hilariously compares his once bleak homeland to: “Chernobyl with priests”.
Refusing to talk too much about Trump – “I don’t want to go round the bin saying ‘that’s a smelly bin’. Everybody knows it’s a smelly bin.” - he asserts that right now is the “perfect time for comedy”.
The show is scattered with his trademark witticisms, and each punchline seems to be effortlessly plucked out of thin air – even after going off on a five minute tangent – which leads you to think there could be one of any number of deadpan closing lines.
Moran’s ramblings will never get old, and he had me laughing from start to finish.
His latest tour has some of his funniest material, and proves that although he might now be sober his comedy is still as surreal as ever.
4/5
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