This is Fiona O’Loughlin’s fifth show at the Comedy Festival. After years of touring around the world and many appearances on chat shows, it is always good to see how fame hasn’t made her any more confident in the early part of her shows, as she so freely admits. It’s also nice to know Child Support haven’t stopped her yet.
The opening consists of Fiona checking how many people haven’t seen her before, and then giving a quick precis of her family and how she has discussed them in previous shows. A bit like when you pick up book five in a series and need some background info. This is very important to the show as her family and friends are all like characters in a book, where Fiona is the evil author putting them in perilous situations at the end of each chapter.
After the family is introduced, Fiona gives an example of something cruel or thoughtless she has done to that child, and tries to justify herself. While she may not exonerate herself, she does tell an excellent story and the full house were kept at a constant comedy boil throughout the show.
The finale was the high point of the show as she caps off her stories with two little pieces of theatre and leaves to resounding applause.
This is a show that, while not breaking new ground or trying something challenging, is an entertaining hour of comedic stories in the life of a mad woman and her troubled family. Just don’t become her friend unless you want to appear in the show next year!
Fiona O’Loughlin runs Tuesday to Saturday until the 29th April. For booking details check out the MICF website