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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Voice of Reason
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Voice of Reason

Dara Ó Briain

BBC Two · 2020 · 59 min

An exasperated, fast-paced hour of logical crowd work and midlife hypochondria.

Dara O’Briain’s rapid-fire logical breakdown of life’s minor annoyances is the main engine of his performance. Instead of tackling massive global tragedies, he zeroes in on personal absurdities, such as his sudden panic about “hot feet” causing a middle-age hypochondria emergency, and the clunky disappointments of modern virtual reality. He brings the energy of an exasperated academic trying to explain simple concepts to a room of toddlers, making his hyper-rational frustration feel entirely justified.\n\nFilmed live at the Eventim Apollo in London, this set captures O’Briain during a break from his heavy rotation of UK television hosting gigs, including Mock the Week and Stargazing Live. He works the front rows with quick-witted crowd work, integrating the banter into longer routines about a disastrous family trip to Legoland and the bizarre experience of reading fake news reports of his own death.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Fake news report of his own demise

    Recounts a misinformed internet news report alleging he died in a ravine in Dublin.

  2. Virtual reality and domestic technology

    Explores the absurdity and problems of home gadgets, including a farcical progression about watching porn through a VR headset.

  3. Recovering a stolen bicycle

    Describes tracking down his stolen, barely used bicycle on eBay and receiving unexpected praise from the police.

  4. Performing stand-up in Dubai

    Recalls Dubai authorities clearing his show with the sole condition that there be no 'sexy movement,' demonstrated via a self-mocking hip-swivel dance.

  5. Interrogating front-row audience members

    Befriends and teases front-row patrons about their occupations, quizzing a twentysomething about kitchen snagging and discovering a nuclear fusion physicist.

How it plays

Tone
Warm, witty, universal, playful, and mischievous.
On stage
Pragmatic, fiercely smart, down-to-earth everyman possessing sincere Blarney Stone charm.
Pace
Fast-talking, breathlessly energetic, and rapid-fire delivery where jokes and ad-libs rattle off in swift momentum.
About
technology and virtual reality, middle age and home renovation, fake news and reports of own death, international touring, Brexit

What the critics said

Critical reviews for the live production praised it as meticulously constructed, pure comic genius featuring rapid-fire wit and charm, though audience viewers of the BBC TV broadcast expressed disappointment over heavy editing that compressed a two-hour set into 59 minutes.

In the room: Energetic, responsive room engaged in lively conversational exchanges and enjoying an interlocking crowd-pleasing climax.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: bbc.co.uk, allmovie.com, comedy.co.uk, letterboxd.com, chortle.co.uk, standard.co.uk, thetimes.com, yorkpress.co.uk, tv.apple.com, en.wikipedia.org, inews.co.uk.

Backstory

Filmed exclusively for BBC Two as part of an extensive world tour that spanned over 175 shows across 20 countries.

Details

Released
Taped
2019, Eventim Apollo, London
Runtime
59 min
Where
BBC Two
Director
Chris Howe
Topics
Before
Crowd Tickler (2015)
After
Re:Creation (2026)

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