Carl Donnelly filled the Komedia Studio last night with his take on being early middle-aged, being a man and being fallible.
With his relaxed delivery, Carl is one of those comics who doesn’t rely on big spectacle or highly invented gags. What he does do is share his life with us openly and honestly, demonstrating just how hard it is to get it all right in a world where everything is out to get you. He launched straight in with his view on the world, telling us about his upcoming house move and the stresses of sitting on an old duvet as the house empties, before moving on to the delights and dangers of early morning drinking, the success and failure of his gigs and just how many health challenges men have to go through as they start to age.
The intimate venue of the Komedia was perfect for this, more of a friend chatting to you than a staged delivery. Carl has clearly been through the wars, but he is seeing the hope in life, relishing his daughter’s progress and ability to shock the world with her innocence and keeping himself on an even keel. It’s refreshing to hear a man on the comedy circuit who can be so positive and also to hear about men’s health issues told in a frank and non-threatening way, even if we did squirm at some of the descriptions of the proceedures he’s been through!
We left with a warm feeling, having seen a confident performance from a comic who didn’t seem to be going through the motions. This is a great show and we are sure it is different every time. Carl knows how to bring an audience with him and we enjoyed the ride.
Carl continues his tour or Another Round across November and December and details can be found on his website.
