From subtle to surreal

Brasstacks's production of Nobody's Child, a new play by Alice Barry (lunchtime, Andrews Lane Studio, last week) explored a three…

Brasstacks's production of Nobody's Child, a new play by Alice Barry (lunchtime, Andrews Lane Studio, last week) explored a three-way relationship in one neatly structured act, pointing up each person's perceptions of the relationship between a young, emotionally insecure laboratory technician and the self-regarding couple she befriends.

It is a delicate piece, with nicely drawn characters who speak directly to the audience, as if to an investigator, or play out particular interludes that define the relationship, leading the audience to switch sympathies and understanding.

This was a strong, enjoyable ensemble production, with a touch of suspense, well directed by Paul Kennedy. All three actors - Eithne Woodcock, Stella Feehily and Sean Whelan - gave credible, well-judged and subtle performances.

Over in the Boomerang Club in the Temple Bar Hotel there are comedy acts from Thursday to Sunday nights. What was billed as Greg Fleet's Underwater World didn't appear to have any connection with the title, but was an assured stand-up show from an Australian performer who used to appear in Neighbours (the shame, the shame). Some of his material was about drugs - he used heroin for 12 years - and he described his reaction to seeing a tabloid headline after he foolishly did an interview about being in drug rehab: "The page one headline read: Neighbours star tells of drug rehab hell. And I finally realised: Oh my God, what have I done? [pause] I appeared in Neighbours!".

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There was a touch of the Eddie Izzards to Fleet, in his surreal moments, flights of fancy and non sequiturs. He's clearly an accomplished performer, with strong, straight-talking, unusual material.

Kevin Gildea was in funny - funny strange as well as funny humorous - form on Saturday. He dealt in standard comedy territory - sex and relationships, giving up smoking, growing up, the end of relationships. But he sometimes lifted it beyond the ordinary, and the neat structuring device of taking imaginary questions from the audience worked well.

The Best Comedy Sketch Show Ever on Sunday was a compilation album from a number of performers, some of whom used to work together. Barry Murphy introduced the greatest hits and said some of the sketches were so old they would be using scripts - and he meant it.

So we had the Quack Squad doing their loopy stuff wearing silly wigs - musical parodies, advertising sketches. Mr Trellis - minus Ardal O'Hanlon - did Pat Phone-in's Phone-in radio show; Eddie Bannon did a community radio DJ spoof, and sang a trad version of Is She really Going Out With Him? with Mark Doherty; Dermot Carmody sang his white middle-class blues; Kevin Gildea donned a toilet-paper beard to talk about the old days as Fuddy Duddy; The Fat Man's Picnic Basket did a very funny sketch about an incomprehensible interview with a writer.

Some of it was a bit of a comedy of errors, but it made for an enjoyable night - especially for those of us who remembered some of the sketches in their original home in the Comedy Cellar. Comedy on the Fringe continues at the Boomerang Club in the Temple Bar Hotel on Thursday (Best Of Irish Newcomers, including Deirdre O'Kane and Des Bishop), Friday (Untitled by Mark Doherty, John Henderson and Patrick McDonnell) and Saturday (The Best Tag Comedy Show Ever, a special finale show).

The Fringe Festival information number is 01-6704567.

Deirdre Falvey

Deirdre Falvey

Deirdre Falvey is a features and arts writer at The Irish Times