David O'Doherty: Seize the David O'Doherty

When The DOD bursts on to the stage he announces he’s feeling positive about the show tonight: even going so far as to suggest it will be an experience which will hijack our lives and change them irrevocably.

All this from a show about life and how shit it is most of the time. Add that to the fact I’m sitting unsociably close to my neighbour because the place is so full and that I’m bursting for the loo because the queues are so long I’d never make it back in time for the performance. I’m a little skeptical, is what I’m trying to say.

But I shouldn’t be. Although I’m familiar with this Dublin-born comic’s older material I’ve never seen him live and I’m so very glad this has been remedied. His humour is considered and intelligent, his style endearing and melodic.

We’re taken through the familiar territory of the pain of a break-up and the reality of aging in a refreshing way – something unbelievably rare in my opinion.  His standup is seamless and his songs, while not always side-splittingly hilarious, are charming and chuckle-inducing.

The best thing about the show? You get the feeling he does this kind of material at a canter and that there’s more in the tank. A wonderful rollercoaster of gentle whimsy which leaves you wanting more – just short of life-changing.