Review by John Burns
Ed Byrne
29 Apr 2011 in Dance & Drama, Highland, Showcase
Inverness Leisure Centre, Inverness, 28 April 2011
ED Byrne has lost it. He stops in the middle of his act and addresses a large man sitting in the front row, centre stage, “Are you enjoying this?” he asks.
“No,” comes the reply.
“If I give you your money back will you fuck off then?”
“Yes.”
I’m on the edge of my seat, I’ve been watching and performing stand up for years but I’ve never seen anyone do this. Byrne leaves the stage and some people think it’s part of the act – trust me, it isn’t. After a few, very long, minutes Byrne returns clutching a twenty pound note which he hands to the stocky man who stands up and, to everyone’s relief, leaves.
You couldn’t have rehearsed that and you couldn’t planned it. That incident won’t be on any DVD, it wouldn’t appear on any sanitised TV show, it was dangerous, it was real, and it was why comedy has to be seen live.
Ed Byrne
There is nothing worse for any comedian than an audience member sitting in the front row oozing mute boredom. The heckler is the audience talking to the comedian. A comedian can work with that, but a miserable silent character sucks away the comedian’s energy and gives nothing back. The breaking point for Byrne, who’d been trying to engage with the man all night, came when this gentleman began texting.
An audience has to meet a comedian half way, or at least try to be entertained. Byrne did what so many comedians must have yearned to do and actually terminated the contract between himself and a member of the audience. He acknowledged that the marriage wasn’t working and asked for a divorce.
That’s the first time I’ve seen a comedian do that but it wasn’t the only first that evening. It was a first for the Ironworks as well. Over the past few years what began as a music venue has become a well established stage for comedians. As a result of the city centre venue’s commitment to comedy, Inverness audiences are getting to see a lot of acts who would otherwise not have visited the Highland capital.
In seating capacity the Leisure Centre out-guns Eden Court’s Empire Theatre. Overall the new comedy venue worked well, allowing the Ironworks to accommodate a much bigger audience than it would have been able to in its usual home. Hopefully the bigger venue will allow the Ironworks to bring a wider variety of comedians to Inverness.
The gig was efficiently organised with a small army of front of house staff ushering folk to their seats. Although it did take overlong to get everyone into the venue and, as a result, the gig started a little late, some teething problems are to be expected with any new endeavour such as this. It must have been a huge amount of work preparing for this event and Ironworks’ staff deserves a great deal of credit for pulling it off.
In the first half of the show Byrne did a little warm up and then introduced his support act, fellow Irish comedian Karl Spain. Spain engaged well with the audience in the cavernous venue, and soon had them entertained with his stories of childhood trauma and battles with his expanding waistline.
Spain is clearly better known in his native Ireland, where he has a couple of TV series to his name including Karl Spain Wants a Woman, than he is in the UK. Although I think he would have been more effective in a smaller venue, Spain’s gentle, inoffensive humor was sharp and well delivered and much enjoyed by the Inverness audience.
After the interval Byrne powered back on to the stage and raised the energy level several notches as he launched into the main part of his set which was clearly well-honed material. Once in full flow he lifted the audience and the likeable comedian soon had them laughing.
A self confessed nerd, Byrne’s material takes the audience in a delightful comedy meander as he discussed such diverse topics drunken particle physicists, conversations with his cat, and his wife’s mental state during pregnancy.
A new Dad, Byrne cleverly works his experiences of child rearing into his act and demonstrated supreme comedic skill as he effortlessly blended old and new material. He is endlessly playful on stage and a joy to watch, although I did think that possibly his act lacks the grand finale that would have had the audience leaving the show on high.
His humor is never offensive but always witty and well constructed. I don’t think anyone in the audience last night (with one obvious exception) could have left feeling disappointed.
The acoustics in the Leisure Centre are less than ideal; after all, it was never designed as a comedy venue. At times I missed a few punch lines but, to be fair, I was sitting at the extreme right of the audience so that issue may have been the result of where I was positioned and not have been a problem for the majority of the audience.
Overall this new departure for the Ironworks and comedy in Inverness produced a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining evening. Byrne was excellent and the evening was even spiced with a brief moment of danger which is exactly what live comedy is all about. I do hope the Ironworks brings other comedians to the Leisure Centre, and perhaps even Byrne will return in a couple of years as he promised to do. If Byrne does come back and you are lucky enough to be in the audience try not to send any texts-he really doesn’t like it.
© John Burns, 2011
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Well, I think Ed handled that very well. The guy wasn’t enjoying the show and, the show being Ed’s show, bargained a nice truce.
This man buys a ticket, goes to the theater and sits there typing a text to whoever was more interesting at the time. He’s completely within his rights, but he’s not just a bit of an annoyance like that.
Although not at this one, I do like a good comedy gig. I also enjoy cinema, theatre & music from time to time. It is a treat for me, something that I have to budget for. Hence, I am disappointed, if not sometimes horrified. by the manners of some audience members. Folk who talk to one another during the performance, take ‘phone calls, text etc. really are just rude. To those people; please wait for the DVD and you can do as you like in the privacy of your own living room.
I’m absolutley certain that the man in question was not a plant. For one thing I was just behind him in the que. The only comedian I know who uses plants is Brendan Burns and he makes it very obvious that that is exactly what they are at the end of his show, they even take a bow.
I think Byrne was completely justified in what he did. Watching a live comedian is not like buying a DVD or even watching a film. A stand up audience is part of the act, that’s what makes stand up different and if you are not prepared to give the comedian a chance you shouldn’t be there. If the guy didn’t like it he could have left at the interval.
In response to the comment above – i think it’s perfectly reasonable for Ed to call out the bloke on the front row texting – it’s unbelievably rude not to mention distracting for performer and other audience members around him.
to follow your logic through, if it is his right and acceptable for him to behave anyway he wants because he has paid for his ticket then by the same logic once Ed gave him his money back then he has the right to behave any way he wants to the ignorant audience member. As the reviewer rightly points out, the contract was broken by the audience member.
I’m still not convinced that the stocky/large man was not a plant. If he wasn’t, then I think that it was an absolutely disgraceful way to treat a member of the public.
The guy paid for a ticket, and is perfectly entitled to sit looking disinterested and sending text messages if he so desires. Who does Ed Byrne think he is to say otherwise?
The comment from Byrne as the gentlemen left with his refund: “don’t spend it all in the same pie shop” was particularly unnecessary.
I was tempted to ask for a refund myself.