FRINGE stand-ups love a theme.
You name it, I’ve seen shows themed around it from deceased relatives, suicide, stalkers and sex work to incurable disease.
But I’ve finally found one that I can really get behind – things that piss me off!
That’s the thread that ties Irish comic Gearoid Farrelly’s sixth Edinburgh show together, things that “boil his blood”, and as a former journalist who once filled two pages of The Sunday Post with “50 Things That Grind My Gears” this was right up my street.
I’ve also got a soft spot (possibly the wrong way to phrase that) for waspish, somewhat camp comedy and Gearoid delivers that in spades.
Put it this way, the way in which he dealt with an overzealous and overly-interactive uberfan was priceless – “You know what I like in a fan? Absolute fuckin’ silence!”
Unreasonable anger fuels this show to fabulous effect, how kids eating ice cream makes him see red made me cry with laughter, but Gearoid also makes some important points about how we unconsciously mess young girls up.
The fact that Gearoid, who has supported Joan Rivers and Sarah Millican, is performing at The Crate – basically a glorified shipping container – also earns his hilarious ire.
Thankfully, he addresses how to pronounce his name early doors (the lady ushering is in dealt with it by saying, “This way for *mumble* Farrelly”).
It’s Geh-road, hence “Gearóid Rage”, though that had me puzzled at first as I thought it was “Roid” as in the steroid-induced anger of certain gym enthusiasts, “roid rage”!
I’m not here to spoil punchlines, all I will say is that Gearóid’s tale about two old ladies and apricots is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in years, and what he had to say about Friday nights in a long-term relationship hit uncomfortably close to home.
You’ll just have to go and see him to find out why.
Gearóid Farrelly: Gearóid Rage, Assembly George Square 19.20, Until August 25 (not 12).
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/gearoid-farrelly-gearoid-rage
