We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty – Project Arts Centre – Review

We almost didn’t get to see David O’Doherty in the Project last night. He arrived on stage, a little stressed at about ten past seven. Even by Comedy show standards this was a little relaxed, but David had his excuses. He was trapped in some back stairs in the Project, faced with a pin code door and almost limitless possibilities. The series of tweets reveal his attempts to make contact with the front desk as no one was answering the phone in reception!

When David did arrive on stage, it was like greeting an old friend. Seeing David O’Dohery live is like slipping into a pair of comfortable old shoes at the end of a long day. He was wearing a look that he describes as ‘archaeologist on jury duty’. For those wondering, this was fairly unremarkable but generally a bit scruffy.

We were treated to a wave of positive energy at the opening sequence of his set. There was talk that his next gig in Dublin would be in a blimp over the city, where he’d use a dyson to hoover up all the money the audience was throwing at him! After that, there was talk of his inevitable fall from grace, where he’d return like an X-factor contestant back at Tesco after his brief time in the spotlight.

There were stories from his childhood about his parents refusing to buy him Star Wars figures, his dealings with the local ‘protestant’ and the detective company he ran in his shed as a 9 year old! There was also the story of the day where Ireland made him proud, and voted yes to the marriage equality bill. He invented a new cocktail that day, involving white wine and a protein shake with disastrous consequences!

He is a local hero returning to the Project and a crowd that knows what he means when he describes Ireland as a big loveable dog that gets excited to see you but then has a great big shit on your bed! He loves Ireland but knows its many faults. There were songs, his constantly evolving jokes of the year, and also lots of discussion on what he thought his life would be like at this stage with 40 looming. He wanted to have won the Tour de France and to be married to Steffi Graf, but he’ll have to settle for another night in the Project. He’s quite possibly Ireland’s best comedian and even if the blimp tour never materialises, we hope to see him in the Project for many years to come!