A little while ago I returned to the MEN Arena (let's be honest that's what we all still call the ARENA in MANCHESTER) to once again see Brendan O'Carroll's iconic matriarch Mrs Brown take to the stage once more in "Good Mourning Mrs. Brown."
By and large, it was another joyous triumph for the powerhouse brand that is Mrs Brown. Anarchic, chaotic, not subtle at all but a triumph nonetheless. And whilst the lack of original material was a little grating, the sheer class and craft that was on show simply could not fail to rouse a riot of laughs and a good time all round.
Essentially, Good Mourning Mrs Brown took one of the loose plots that O'Carroll and his team/family have been performing for years (way before its first outing on our TV screens during the first series of the BBC sitcom) and delivered it to the arena audience en masse, this time backed up by the sheer volume, pizzazz and power stemming from the success Mrs Brown's Boys has achieved over the years. The opening montage of clips and music from the highly impressive but ultimately doomed to fail Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie served to perfectly illustrate this.
Nevertheless, this was broadly Mrs Brown back to doing what she does best - simple set, simple premise entertaining the crowd with simple but wonderful comedy.
Of course it was not only a joy to see O'Carroll in his element as the titular Mrs Brown, but to see his family and friends, all with their (mostly) unique roles surrounding, supporting and succeeding with him was a fine thing too. There's no getting away from it though; O'Carroll as Mrs Brown is designated and designed to be the star of the show, and at no point does that slip. The perfectly crafted comedic powerhouse he's created could probably carry a two hour show alone, but the supporting ensemble that has been together for years is quite touching to see in action. The only other individual mention I would make is Rory Cowan as Rory Brown, for simply being in corpsing stitches almost all of the time he was on stage - and it was hilarious to watch.
As I hinted at before, my only resounding complaint is the lack of original plot for the stage show. Unlike last time I went to see Mrs Brown live (for that, see my BLOG ARCHIVE way way back at the beginning) it wasn't simply one story/script cut and paste from the TV series, but more like a huge interweaving patchwork of the best bits and comedic highlights from the Mrs Brown's Boys back catalogue. But 99% of it, whilst well timed, brilliantly performed and very funny, was familiar. The best bits still being when the cast went off piste, off script and into the improv.
However, what was done was done very well, and served as ample proof for anyone who needed it that, despite all her exposure (or over-exposure if you ask some) Mrs Brown and her gang have certainly not lost it.
