Writer & Director: Mark T Cox
Glass Mask Theatre is one of the best venues in the city, and in Mark T Cox’s raucous cabaret, Paddy Daddy, it has found the ideal show. We’re crammed in on Saturday night, and experience 75 of the funniest, filthiest minutes of this year’s Fringe. I would say make sure you get a ticket, but the last performance is sold out, so instead just make sure you get to see Cox perform the next time he’s in Dublin, which may be around Christmas.
Cox commands the space with ludicrous ease, and is so charming and witty that the crowd is instantly eating out of his hand – he does a brief intro, and then skips through the crowd to leave the space before the show’s start, telling people “pretend you don’t see me now”. It could have been awkward, but establishes Cox’s persona instantly; he’s self-aware, able to make minor interactions funny, and a consummate pro when dealing with an audience.
The show itself revolves around Cox’s experience of growing up gay in, and returning to, rural Ireland. Interspersed with pop hits from the Spice Girls, J-Lo, the Corrs, and more, the stories he tells are relatable, salacious, and underpinned by a liberatory, not maudlin, core – these aren’t horror stories, but they are about seeing the absurd and the minutiae in rural life. There’s audience interaction throughout, and again, Cox is always in control, getting big laughs but never allowing it to stray into uncomfortable territory.
The only drawback is that there weren’t more shows; perhaps he could have played a bigger venue, or done multiple shows an evening – this is of course no fault of his own, and does nothing to detract from the experience of those lucky enough to get a ticket; I only wish it was an experience that could have been shared by more people.
Runs Until 15th September 2024.
The Review's Hub Score
Hysterical, heartfelt
