★★★★★
There’s this tense moment seconds into a stand-up hour, where the comedian drops their first joke. It sets the tone for the show, introduces us to the comedian, and allows us to get on board. Yet, Katie Boyle is some kind of magician, because I didn’t feel this at the top of her hour. Within moments the room had erupted into that from-the-belly laughter, which never relented.
Boyle talks about how living in New York as an Irish immigrant, means she doesn’t feel like she belongs to either place. This theme develops into tangents that detail incredible Irish Folklore and also personal anecdotes about her ADHD.
What was so clever about Boyle’s show is that every moment purposefully built on the last. Her big climax was given to the rise of the far-right in Ireland, encapsulating everything that came before. It’s a trend that’s been coming up in shows across the fringe this year, that of the sliding into fascism. Boyle never lectures her audience, but offers an empathetic perspective that is much needed!
Ultimately, it’s a perfectly honed hour of stand-up. Not a second wasted, it felt word perfect, which is impossible because the ad-libbing and spontaneous moments were dotted throughout. That’s how good Katie Boyle is, she makes one of the hardest jobs in the arts seem effortless.
Katie Boyle: Irish Immigrant is on at O’Neill’s (The Tron) at Monkey Barrel Comedy until August 28th
