Review of the comic's latest tour

Deirdre O’Kane is one of those comedians who may have been around a bit but has found a new audience through social media – Instagram and podcasts in her case, give the straw poll of how people came to this gig.

It may be a one-sided ‘parasocial’ relationship, but the Irish comic exploits it skilfully, largely treating the gig like a chatty catch-up with friends, oversharing – albeit in a measured way – the ups and downs of being in a long-term relationship and being the mother of teenage children. She also reflects on who she is and how she got here, even turning to ancestry.com in the hope of finding some exotic mix in her genetic background.

There’s a heavy stripe of cynicism about her personal situation, or maybe just pragmatism and honesty. Certainly the material’s relatable, her attitude resonating with an audience who might feel the same, but would never express it so frankly, nor so wittily. Often, she’s saying things about the behaviour of others that probably shouldn’t *need* saying, but clearly does.

O’Kane says that in her 56 years, she’s ‘learned a thing or two’. And the big revelation: that there’s something wrong with men. No surprise there, but her withering take on their emotional repression  is a witty one, to which she frequently returns. Her experience on stage also gives her some authority, projecting a voice of wisdom even if she’s not aways been wise herself… and even if that wisdom is skewed.

The show’s set up as a bit of an uncomplicated laugh in a troubled world, with her political material extending no further than: ‘Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s got quite the head on him’. 

However, O’Kaning It is not without its pointed jibes about topics such as the Russell Brand allegations. And as she delves into memories of her Catholic all-girls’ school and the uncompromising nuns who taught there, she sees parallels with the Magdalene Laundries and the generational trauma inflicted by those dumping grounds for ‘fallen women’,  horrid phrase as that is. Seems there is some social substance here after all. 

In fact, it’s impossible to make her justifiable disgust at these vile institutions funny,  and this section is O’Kane using her platform and the goodwill she built up in the first part of the show to talk about something significant to her.

This sits alongside stories of her past that are also slower, and the comic momentum ebbs, although O’Kane is too much of a pro, and far too disarmingly personable, to let it collapse. So when the time’s right, she returns to safer comedy ground.

She acknowledges that the more confessional material is what the audience want to hear, asking them: ‘Are you leaning in now? You want the dirt?’  Yes they do.  Certainly she’s on the firmest territory when comparing her woke daughter with her own more feckless youth, getting off with lads in the nightclub, teasing both Gens X and Z.

Elsewhere, she talks of her son’s concerning behaviour and ends with a story about her wedding  that left the vicar star-struck by the upper echelons of Irish comedy in the congregation. It’s not especially gag-rich, but O’Kane is skilled at paining a wider picture that’s evocative and amusing. And it provides a suitable punchline to bring the show to a close.

• Deirdre O’Kane is on tour around the UK and Ireland until May. Dates

Review date: 18 Feb 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Leicester Square Theatre