Receiving the best newcomer award at 2010 Fringe

Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards

More Roisin Conaty videos

2010 Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer winner

Roisin Conaty: Destiny's Dickhead
Live Review

There's a point in Conaty's show following a cul-de-sac bit of banter where she quips ‘I’ll leave it there and today will be forever known as black Monday.’ Though she’s joking there's an underlying feeling that for Conaty it’s one of ‘those’ gigs.

There's at least one in every Fringe run, where things just don't quite go as you'd want them to. It is a quiet gig but Conaty appears a touch nervy, not entirely her personable self. It threatens to derail her opening 20 minutes, almost as if she seems to have a lack of conviction in it. Whenever she’s uncertain of the reaction, Conaty turns to audience banter seeming to feel the need to warm us up – but instead it only serves to break any flow she might have built up.

Which is a shame because when she does eventually hit her stride part way through the show she displays the kind of comedic skill that won her the Best Newcomer award last year. There really was nothing to be worried about.

The loose-ish premise of the show is that Conaty is trying to shed her superstitious nature, the Destiny's Dickhead of the title, and take control of her life – using the self-improvement premise that’s common for comedians who want to shoehorn some straight stand up into an hour show.

Conaty successfully moves out of her Nan's place into her own flat at the age of 32, but she's made less progress in giving up smoking and finding a partner. Some of the material, including her Nan's problem with passport photos, Conaty's lack of a sense of direction and sections of the hen weekend material are received warmly but with not with belly laughs. However when her skills kick in proper with a routine about an overcrowded yoga class, the pace picks up.

She then moves off into lovely set pieces about chatting to a Japanese man with shaky English on a rollercoaster, and a misunderstanding with her mother over the hardcore porn film Conaty and her friend accidentally viewed as karate-loving 12-year-olds.

When she focuses she can employ a fantastic turn of phrase conjuring vivid images and evocative characterizations, such as her mum mumbling happily when she finds a bag of Conaty's washing to sort through. But she doesn’t always focus.

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Indescribably funny. I almost pissed myself laughing! :D

KK, January 2011

Saw her on TV and she made me laugh until I almost cried. I thought that she was refreshingly different and open.

sophie, November 2010

Just caught Roisin at Phoenix and damn fine she was too. Confident delivery, accessible gripes, convincing character-based comedy... Recommended!

Michael Monkhouse, June 2008

Roisin is brilliant. The Cakes are Brilliant. I love her humour.

Jane Hollinsworth, December 2007

'One to watch'? And wait to watch what? More mediocrity? No thanks! Predictable uninspired hack rubbish!

Debbie, June 2007

A real star in the making. Lovely and joyous. when she left the stage the audience felt sad. Her material was so honest and her ideas so grand we felt like we had bonded and it felt like we should exchange numbers and meet up again because we all got on so well. One to watch.

Robert and Oliver Norton, June 2007

We travelled from all corners of Ireland and Scotland to see this girl, she is the best thing in comedy I have seen in a long time, she is revelating, fresh, and lifted all our hearts all 15 of us, she should come over to Ireland, she would be a No. 1 hit in no time.

Mrs B C O'Flynn, March 2007

Brilliant. Her audience interaction led to hilarious flights of fancy - honestly some of the best I have ever seen. She seems so comfortable on stage. No affectations, just funny bones. I will look out for her again. I saw her at a 300 seater venue in Ireland. I am pretty sure it wasn't an open mike night - not at 20 euros a ticket!

William Costello Belfast, March 2007

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