As part of Body and Soul week, the DU Comedy Soc put on a free comedy gig in the Pav this past Tuesday evening. The glow of the lights from the Pav beckoned me towards the crowded warmth within the yellow walls and the promise of a night of comedy lay ahead. Tables and chairs had been pushed back to form an audience facing a mic stand in the center of the front of the room.
Conor Nevin was the MC and started off with a few of his own jokes, such as referencing his own purple hair. He introduced the first comedian: Laura Byrne. Laura is a UCD grad (as she mentioned when explaining why she thought she’d burst into flames upon walking through Front Square), part of Facts. the YouTube channel, and a self proclaimed multi-vitamin enthusiast.
Her act consisted of a plethora of topics including, but not limited to, vegan cheese, Trump, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival & tonsillitis, and my personal favorite: her passionate feelings on multi-vitamins. She told in great detail of the time she took three multi-vitamins in the space of four hours (disclaimer: extreme fatigue was involved) and rather than the super powers she hoped would come from the trip up in her daily routine, she experienced “temporary anal fire power” aka explosive diarrhea. She finished off with a song she wrote while she played the ukulele. She has the crowd entertained for the duration of her performance.
Next up was Ben Morgan, a current student at Trinity who started out by giving the audience a brief overview of his year before jumping into his routine. His jokes ranged from dead babies, to cancer, to the gardaí, and his dear old Granny. Ben was able to engage with the audience directly adding to the crowds enthusiasm. The audience laughed along to the controversial and, at times, uncomfortable but nevertheless hilarious jokes.
Last but not least was Francis Been, past Comedy Soc president and professional comedian, Francis’ jokes were for the intellectuals in the crowd, those who had some background knowledge on whatever topic he was one were the ones most likely to understand and appreciate his jokes. However, this is did not stop everyone from enjoying his performance.
The Comedy gig was certainly a fantastic way to end a Tuesday and definitely reminded me of the sentiment that “laughter is food for the soul”. It was clear that everyone left cheerier than when they arrived.