Dara O'Briain - The Lowry Theatre, Salford

I laughed til I could laugh no more...and then I laughed again. For tonight I was treated to a night of hilarity, courtesy of a man I have watched the work of and admired for some time, and who is in my opinion, one of the greatest stand up comedians of all time. Yep...Dara O'Briain is back on the road and for the first time in three years he returned to the Lowry Theatre in Salford; and I am mighty pleased he did. 

Flawless and effortless from the very moment he strolled on stage, Dara instantly upheld his reputation for having the uniquely rare ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand. He bombarded his audience with line after line of slick, honed and beautifully delivered material that had clearly been worked on for a long time, yet he also shifted chameleon-like from that to some wonderful sections of audience participation, witty repartee and superb improv.

Like all of his gigs and tours of the past, this one had several themes running through it, from the relatively serious matters of advancing years, to the more novel "elbows" and one obscure line from the Return of the Jedi. Each segment flowed wonderfully into the next, and we also had seemingly sporadic but actually well crafted back tracks and tangents, all intrinsically tailored to the audience reaction at any one time.

It is clear that, not only is Dara a master at holding an audience's attention, he is also able to detect and deduce shifts and changes in their mood and reaction to each element of material with lightning speed and pinpoint accuracy. 

It is extremely difficult for me to detect or pin down any lull in this great man's level of performance, or a lack of engagement at any given time. Unlike most comedians I know of, his stage presence presents an odd but incredible blend of extreme hard work and investment, alongside effortless cool and free flowing comedic timing and talent.

Yes the scripted and pre-prepared material was great, but it was as I said only enhanced to outstanding levels by the audience unique to tonight at the Lowry. Here Dara again presented his signature trademark of such interaction and consequential comedic gold from an unknown and unexpected set of sources. And as he says himself, he is not derogatory or scathing when it comes to the treatment of his audience; instead he enhances their night, and their comedic potential. He not only exuded sheer hilarity but also sheer warmth and respectful appreciation of those gathered to watch him perform (including a fantastic 'heckler' incident of sorts whose subsequent 'take down' by Dara could well and truly only happen once). 

Yes, as I said I respect and adore massively the performance and comedic talents of this man Dara O'Briain. He has clearly not lost his touch, despite being an increasingly sought after touring comedian for some years now, plus dipping his toes into various other media projects. His roots are still where he is happy, and clearly that happiness and joy for comedy can still translate to and delight any given audience with ease, and also with stupendous results.