Almost exactly two years
ago to the day, a foul-mouthed old Irishwoman took to the stage in Nottingham on
what was to be a voyage of discovery for performer and audience
alike.
Yet it remained to be
seen if Mrs Brown's Boys, recorded live on stage for the television and which
came to Nottingham in 2011 in the cosy confines of The Royal Centre, could make
the leap of faith to an arena setting.
The Mrs Brown show has
won a couple of Baftas in the meantime and obviously appeals to the masses too,
judging by its continued small screen success. After all, we can all identify
with everyday family life – and, most crucially, with the comic creation of Mrs
Brown herself.
This was clear from the
teeming crowds at the Arena for the first Nottingham show last night. Fans
simply adore the whole cast. They don't merely watch and laugh... they gasp,
wince and worry through with the flimsy plot, a vehicle for laugh after laugh
after laugh.
For anyone who
doesn't know, Agnes Brown is the result of the comedy genius of Brendan
O'Carroll, who dons authentic drag to transform himself into the famous
Dublin 'Mammy' and performs alongside his screen family, who – in many cases –
are members of his actual family.
Confused? You won't
be. It's straightforward obvious comedy, varying from the
subversive – nudges, winks and innuendo –
to blatant out-and-out potty-mouthed bad
language.
In this new show
we touch
upon his flamboyant hairdresser son (obvious enough for you?), the vagaries of
plastic surgery for a daughter who can't find love (which part of the body do you
suppose?) and then there's granddad's addiction to Viagra.
Not
forgetting Agnes's own quest to find an online Valentine
date.
And yet the
audience loved it. Perhaps it is that we are in on the secret
with O'Carroll, who confides in the audience in a series of asides
while the comedy action is played out on stage.
He pulls
faces, rolls his eyes; tries to make the rest of the cast forget their
lines.
If Agnes was real,
she'd be a comedy uncle-turned-aunt who wants to liven up the family gathering.
And O'Carroll must be good as he makes it all look so very easy to
do.
So did the big
screens each side of the set kill the live show? Not a chance. Forget the fact
that die-hard fans will have heard many of the gags before: it was as though the
whole room was watching TV together, enjoying the sharing of a communal moment.
Perhaps reminiscent of the Olympics, or the Jubilee. Or perhaps
not.
