The Best Shows We Saw at the Dublin Fringe Festival
Photos courtesy Dublin Fringe Festival, lead photo by Kate Lawlor
The Dublin Fringe Festival is often overlooked in favor of the more well-known Edinburgh Fringe, but its smaller scale may be its greatest strength.
While the entire city of Edinburgh transforms for the Fringe, you could easily miss the festival in the Irish capital if you’re not seeking it out. However, this means that most of the acts at the Dublin Fringe are homegrown, unlike at Edinburgh, where many smaller performers have found themselves priced out of an increasingly expensive (not to mention exhausting) month. Dublin Fringe operates for 16 days, compared to the over three weeks of Edinburgh Fringe, which is much more doable, especially for artists who may be strapped for cash.
Since this is the comedy section after all, I tried to see as many stand-up shows as possible, with some cabaret and drama thrown in. The Dublin Fringe Festival ended yesterday, but hopefully there’s more to come from these artists, both emerging and established.
Ashes to Ashmore
At only 23, Emily Ashmore is a self-assured and undeniably funny comedian. Her show at the Dublin Fringe Festival, Ashes to Ashmore, ostensibly took place in a doctor’s waiting room, where she’s practicing her stand-up before getting help for her dislocated kneecaps. Ashmore’s performance centered around how her life has changed since she was 15 and her kneecaps dislocated while she was on the bus. At only 45 minutes long, the set was incredibly tight, consistently hilarious, and insightful to boot. Her ease onstage meant she could roll with a verbal gaffe about fingering and her audience interactions felt genuine and earned. Doubtless Ashmore is a comedian to watch.
Bright Club Presents: The Mothership
When I arrived at the lunchtime show for The Mothership, Brandi Carlile’s “The Mother” was playing over the speakers, setting the tone for a performance that was as much about appreciating mothers as it was about making the audience laugh. Sharon Mannion and Anne Gill hosted, playing off their differences (Mannion’s Irish and had a C-section, Gill is American and gave birth the old fashioned way) and finding the funny in the nitty gritty of motherhood. The show focused on the science behind how having a kid changes people, with birth and postpartum doula Tara Durkin and radio broadcaster Alison Curtis making appearances. Special shoutout to their labia sock puppets.
Climate Worrier
Comedian Colm O’Regan’s set dug into the pervasive dread and feeling of powerlessness in the face of climate change, and combatted these overwhelming emotions with his knack for connection. He broke the fourth wall right off the bat, ready to engage the audience with his affable nature. While O’Regan may have been overly reliant on Irish-isms, he also made an express effort to include audience members from abroad (him getting an Italian tourist to say “Sorry in me hole” was especially hilarious). Besides being funny, one walked away from O’Regan’s show with a renewed sense of hope. Keep an eye out for his book of the same name, Climate Warrior, out next month.
I Know What You Did Last Stammer
It’s hard sometimes not to get caught up in the what ifs of life, those sliding doors moments that seem like they could have changed everything. Comedian Aidan Greene uses this conceit to look back through his life and see how it would be different if he was cured of the stammer he developed at four years old. Greene’s funny on his own, but he accentuated his set with a gut-busting slideshow, full of strangely photoshopped pictures and video shorts referencing Stuart Little (it makes sense, trust me). He knows how to control a room, even when a joke doesn’t quite land, and it’s a joy to behold.