Fringe review: Begorrah

Foil, Arms and Hog: Begorrah

Smock Alley Theatre

***

Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Foil, Arms and Hog are back in Dublin with a vibrant, fast-paced performance. The comedy trio encourage full audience participation, with a New York spectator roped into not one but two sketches. His initial bemusement at shouting “gringo” at a bunch of Irish lads is entirely surpassed by opening a shaken, bubbling can in front of a packed-out theatre.

The Dublin boys take a more international approach to their Dublin Fringe performance, encouraging roars of olé and arriba in their Mexican saloon setting. This quickly transforms into a west of Ireland home, where alcoholism is accompanied by overly-"begorrah" Irish accents. As Sean Finnegan (Foil) reminds the audience, we can be "just a little racist".

The audience delight in the swift transitions from French theatrical group to narcissistic song collections ("there's no i in team, but there should be"), American Christian rock to Brennan's Bread jingles.

Despite the hilarity of a slow motion dildo attack, the comedy trio often revert to their clichéd and arguably overused west of Ireland skit. However, a revised Radiohead rendition and a passionate embrace between Foil and Hog reveal the trio's boundless energy and ability to bring hilarity back home to their Irish audience.

Ends Sept 14