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.

Ballot Monkeys

Few can probably deny it; this latest UK election, like most elections is farcically chaotic. And whatever happens to the British government in the coming days, I for one felt refreshingly pleased to see that there are some who can still cut through the crap and make us laugh at it all. 

Penned by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, Channel 4's incredibly topical, highly up to date and hilariously brash and blunt series takes a look at what life may (and lets face it - what life possibly is) like in the touring campaign buses of several parties in the run up to the 2015 General Election. I for one thought this was a stupendous, if bafflingly outrageous, idea and mostly I feel they hit it off wonderfully. Yes it was political, but more importantly it gave us as an audience, and an electorate, a massive opportunity to just sit back relax and laugh.

So, as they appeared on their buses - lets take a look at the parties:-

THE LIB DEMS

No doubts about it; Ben Miller was the star of the show here. His portrayal of Kevin, a dejected and increasingly neurotic Lib Dem was inspired. His loud and outrageous outbursts were always hilarious, often supported by the bewildered innocence of Esther Smith and the uppity ignorance of Michael Fenton Stevens.

The prolonged moments where Miller swayed into self-reflection and comedic depression got a tad grating, but the idea that the Lib Dem world is quite soap opera-esque is quite something.

LABOUR

Here we have an eclectic bunch of nuvo-niche Labour delegates, ranging from the hilariously backward to the annoyingly American. 

We have Jack who is the embodiment of old fashioned, and thus dissapointed party politics. His one liners come thick and fast and are always a treat to hear. On the opposite end of the scale we have Kathleen Rose Perkins who plays the role of the loud, upbeat, smiling, bright and ultimately annoying American political strategist. She plays her role well, but out of all the Labour team she is the one I could do without the most. They are knitted together by two slightly non-starting but still important characters in Theo Barklem-Briggs and Daisy Haggard.

UKIP

Here I think the producers missed a trick. Yes Sarah Hadland (of Miranda fame) is recognizable as a stuffy, deluded UKIP supporter, but in terms of her image it is a bit of a misfire. I feel Hadland excels as more of a lucid, bubbly cheeky blonde type character. I can see why they have made her into a bright suit wearing, UKIP twit, but it just doesn't quite sit right with me.

On the other hand, communications manager for UKIP Andy Nyman has a great dry sense of humour that is very good to watch. 

THE TORIES

Again we have a stand out star here - Hugh Dennis. I have both watched this man on TV and live (twice) over the years and I have long been a fan of his, and Ballot Monkeys does not dissuade me. Jimmy Akingbola is good (if a little too self obsessed) Hattie Morahan is sassy and appealing, and Liz Kingsman is delightfully dozy, but Hugh Dennis is undoubtedly the brilliantly timed and always hilarious king of the Tory bus. 

RIP Ben E. King

1938-2015