Gearoid Farrelly: Turbulence

For his first Fringe show, rising Irish comedian Gearoid Farrelly tackles all the little things that cause turbulence in his life, from break-ups to the death of a family bunny.

The show opens with a funny video montage starring his mother and sets the stage for a lot of family-inspired material, including the Celtic origin of his name and how his unbearable, slightly racist Irish grandmother hates him being a comedian. His bit making fun of crowd banter and how he’s bad at it is quite refreshing, but other parts of his show feel a bit dry. Many of his jokes are old ones he’s used on different television shows and some of the topics are a bit outdated (Lady Gaga’s meat dress, Michael Jackson’s death and a rant about an X-Factor participant from 2010).

He is a smart comedian with a quick and snappy delivery, but it doesn’t seem like he put much effort into writing this show. It has its funny moments, but Farrelly almost looks bored on stage. Overall, a forgettable hour of lacklustre comedy.