Dara O’Briain / Terry Alderton

11 Mar 2010 in Dance & Drama, Highland

Dara O’Briain

Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 8 March 2010
OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 7 March 2010

DARA O’BRIAIN makes a big impression as he walks on stage, if only because he is a big comedian in every sense of the word. At six foot four he is probably the biggest comedian in the UK right now amongst the twenty or so who could claim top billing.

He is aware of his size and tries to avoid towering over the audience as he gently begins to unravel the lives of the poor unfortunates who were foolish enough to sit in the front row. From the beginning of his set he exuded a confidence and warmth that immediately set Eden Court’s capacity crowd at ease.

His stage presence immediately gives the impression that you are in good hands; despite his size, he is a safe comedian. He is not going to plumb the depths of your psyche, or challenge your political views; he is simply there to entertain you, and in that he is a master.

As he began to weave his intricate web of finely crafted stories he reminded me of another Irish comedian whose ability to lure the audience into an absurd world view he has clearly inherited. Many, many years ago, when TV was still in black and white, and I was a youth with thick, dark hair, I would sit entranced as Dave Allen told tall tales in similar seductive style.

That was a very long time ago, so long ago that Allen would pause occasionally in his monologues and gently brush the ash from his endless cigarettes from his trousers. Imagine that, a man being able to smoke on TV. Unthinkable these days, when one is only allowed to smoke on one tiny Island somewhere off the North coast of Britain, and then only if the wind is off shore.

In those days, TV presenters would gaily light up in front of their audience and you could actually passively smoke in the comfort of your own home through the TV screen. Obviously if a comedian were to casually drop fag ash around the TV studio today viewers would instantly emulate him and the resulting outbreak of trouser fires across the nation would push our already overstretched fire service beyond the limits of their capacity. Still, as they say, I digress… [indeed you do, and Dave Allen wisely gave up smoking – Ed.]

The audience were clearly familiar with O’Briain as a result of his brilliant hosting of Mock the Week and frequent appearances on other shows such as QI. There are number of elements of his work that you don’t appreciate when you see him on TV. The first is just how fine a physical comedian he is. The television nails him to the floor in front of the camera, but live he is a mass of energy and is rarely still.

In one of the highlights of his act he took on the persona of a character in a video game and leapt about the stage with surprising agility mimicking the frantic antics of game hero battling a gigantic robot in a piece that reflected a rare comic genius.

He was aware of the wide age range in the Eden Court audience, and catered for both ends of the spectrum by balancing his stories from the cyber world with his battles as a parent and struggles with that badge of courage for most in middle age, a bad back. All his stories were engagingly told with skill and warmth and evoked a great response from the Eden Court audience. His personality is equally engaging and witty, and shone through in his performance.

The previous evening I had watched another comedian on the smaller stage of Eden Court’s OneTouch theatre, Terry Alderton. I would argue the Alderton is equally as talented but sadly far less famous than the man who would gather a sell out crowd the following night in the theatre’s larger venue.

I first saw Alderton a few months ago in London’s Comedy Store and was, as they say, blown away by his headline twenty minute set. In contrast to O’Briain, I would struggle to tell you a great deal about his personality or even how he speaks. His act is a riot of characters from beginning to end, with his uniquely schizophrenic internal dialogue bringing a fascinating twist to his act.

Somewhere in a host of characters, ranging through a Dad’s for Justice Activist, a drunken husband, an ASBO-ed teenager and a rap singer, is Terry Alderton, but I certainly couldn’t spot him. That he can hold the audience’s attention for long periods with his back turned to them is testimony to his huge comedic ability.

Alderton is theatrical, musical and downright hilarious. I was so impressed by him that I emailed Eden Court the following day and said simply, “Book this guy.” Quite sensibly Eden Court ignored my suggestion, as they have all of my other ideas, and I’m sure Alderton’s appearance was simply a welcome coincidence.

On Sunday night he proved that he could easily handle a much longer set than 20 minutes ,and gave a hugely entertaining one and a half hour show. Alderton switches between characters with an awe inspiring speed that speaks volumes for his acting talent.

It is a pity that his show was scheduled the night before O’Briain’s appearance, as I’m sure many people decided to skip Alderton’s Sunday night spicy entrée and await the meaty main course the following evening. In doing so they missed a rare comedic treat. Alderton is rumoured to be coming back to the theatre in the summer – if you want to see a wildly exciting star in the making, don’t miss him.

Back to the main course. There can have been few who left the packed Empire Theatre without being satiated with comedy by O’Briain. He is a highly polished comedian at the top of his game. His comedy style is always comfortable and he is, or at least chooses to be, safe in his material. Nevertheless, he is very funny, and displayed an ability to improvise with the audience in a way that steered a beautiful course between being threatening and the dangers of patronising.

Even those whose lives he had exposed to the intense light of satire must have left the theatre feeling elevated by the experience. If Alderton and O’Briain where dishes in a restaurant, I for one would be back for a second helping.