From the look of the rest of the people waiting in the Swiss Club bar, I’m probably at least a decade short of the target demographic for Fiona O’Loughlin, and on the wrong side of the gender divide. Luckily I’d had the foresight to take my mother along to ensure I got an opinion from the right type of audience. My mother thoroughly enjoyed it, and funnily enough I did too.
Fiona’s show is about growing up as part of “one of the largest irish-catholic families in the country”. With experiences ranging from growing up under the reign of her mother “Deidre” to raising five children of her own, Fiona is a comedian blessed with a life of comic experiences. The tales of her family and upbringing are at once bizarre and all too familiar. You can’t help but trust her when she assures as that every word spoken is simply the truth of her life.
A fair proportion of this material was aired at the now defunct Stagetime in an appearance during last year’s festival, and it was a pleasure to see it come together in a much tighter form. There’s still a couple of points where Fiona repeats herself or jumps between unrelated material, but overall the show has come together quite well.
Fiona’s material appeals to everybody’s family memories of excruciatingly long car trips, crazy siblings and motherly favouritism. Contrary to my original preconceptions, this isn’t just a show for mothers, it’s a show for their children too.
For booking details see Fiona O’Loughlin