Review by Julia Chamberlain

This was an odd night. I don’t know if he always stares at someone in the audience, stage left, but whoever it was probably copped two-thirds of his attention for this show.   He managed to tear himself away every now and then, but I began to feel quite uncomfortable for whoever it was.

John Lynn is absolutely compelling, I don’t think he even needs the stage to hold your attention, like the Ancient Mariner, you wouldn’t  be able to tear yourself away from his yarns if he buttonholed you in a pub.  He’s got an easy delivery, that like the late, great Dave Allen, can explode with angry, eyeball popping intensity.

He constructs a great anecdote, nothing fanciful, but life embroidered to the max.  The parlous state of the Irish economy, being unemployed, teacher training,  the kids (and exploitation thereof),  relationships, chasing the your dreams,  the stress placed on a good relationship by sharing with your single, troglodytic mates.

To be honest, this got a long time to get going on the night. It was a bit too informal, a bit of an entertaining  a chat in a bar with the a good looking Irishman with issues, and the baleful staring from the stage was quite unnerving, but it tipped over into being a proper show. He was hugely entertaining giving an impression of his ex being utterly drunk (Shades of Dylan Moran demonstrating intoxication, if you need a point of reference, but still completely John Lynn).

This is  better than some other three star shows  I’ve seen, but he needs to be a more disciplined and less alarming, otherwise we could do this show over a table in a bar and have him hold court, rather than him beggar himself paying for a venue and audience all paying for seats. If you want some intense and interesting Irish comedy, more forceful than beguiling froth, this is worth your attention.

Review date: 13 Aug 2011
Reviewed by: Julia Chamberlain