Owen O’Neill: Chasing My Tale
The Classic Studio, 321 Queen St, Auckland
09/03/2009 - 22/03/2009
Production Details
IRISH FRINGE HERO CHASES HIS TALE TO AUCKLAND
One of sixteen children raised in a house without a flush toilet. A recovering alcoholic. Been in a fight with Liam Neeson. Interrogated by the IRA and held Mick Jagger hostage. Owen O’Neil has some tales to tell.
Irish comedian, poet, actor and raconteur, Owen O’Neill has written, directed and performed seven solo shows in the last nine years at the Edinburgh Fringe winning several awards for Best Comedy, the LWT writers award for best original one man play and a Perrier nomination.
In his latest solo show, Chasing My Tale, Owen O’Neill brings together and reinvents some of the best moments from all of these shows which are exaggerated, personal, heartfelt, hilarious accounts of a life still being lived and written about.
The Auckland Fringe is set to be the next chapter in this tale.
‘O’Neill is a fine artist. He combines a stand-up’s attack, a sketch comic’s talent for creating instant characters and an actor’s ability to give them heart and soul.’ Kate Copstick – The Scotsman
‘His writing is reminiscent of the plays of Sean O’Casey and the films of John Ford.’ Sheridan Morley. The Times UK
‘To describe what O’Neill does as Stand-up doesn’t do him justice. This is beyond stand-up; this is a hilarious public washing of the emotional underwear.’ The New York Post
Director of The Classic in Auckland, Scott Blanks first met Owen O’Neill at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1997 and invited him to the 1998 NZ International Comedy Festival. It has been 10 years since he was last in Auckland.
The Classic (321 Queen St, Auckland CBD)
Monday 9th March to Saturday 22nd March (No show Sunday)
8:45pm – 9:45pm
Tickets: $22/$18
Tickets available through (09) 373 4321 or www.comedy.co.nz
The Auckland Fringe runs from 27th February to 22nd March 2009.
For more Auckland Fringe information visit www.aucklandfringe.org.nz
Too crazy to be made up
Review by James Amos 13th Mar 2009
It seems to take ages for the show to start! I have not been able to get any one to come with me, so I have no one to talk to. One friend even says he does not like stand up. I didn’t know there existed such a person: everyone likes stand-up, right?!?
Finally Owen comes out, he warms us up with a bit about something in the paper and tells us how glad he is to be in NZ and away from Australia. To be honest I’m expecting him to be more laugh out loud funny given the impressive array of comedy awards he has won from the Edinburgh festival. I guess that’s one of the things that makes stand-up comedy so edgy – and hard to do!
In fact, I feel a little bad: maybe he’s not used to the standard lacklustre Kiwi response. We’re not exactly known for shrieking with glee, or whooping like some kind of woodland animal are we? Usually we show our appreciation by smiling, or laughing silently – you know the way, when your shoulders jiggle with the pressure of built up joy that you know you mustn’t let out, well, not while its quiet anyway. You can’t laugh until somebody else laughs, so either nobody laughs or we all laugh together, that’s the Kiwi way.
Perhaps he’s a little thrown.
The audience certainly has a good time though and we all seem to warm up more as we get further into the stories that he has to share. I really enjoy these and while I’m sure they must be embellished a little (as all stand-ups do), they are too crazy to be made up.
We hear about his 96 year old 2-pack-a-day-smoking, Guinness-drinking grand-dad. The joys of Christmas in a Catholic family as one of 16 kids and some great yarns about his working life as an actor, poet and stand-up comedian. I appreciate the honesty and really feel on his side the more I get to know him. I’m laughing now but also find it all as fascinating as it is funny. I am inspired to discover more about Northern Ireland and its history.
Interesting … There are a couple of ladies at the front who seem to take some kind of ownership over the Irishman; they are together and one is from England, the other Scotland. They have this habit of starting conversations between themselves as the show goes on which inspires some delightful banter between them and Owen. Clearly a seasoned professional, he is able to play with them to add to the show, without letting them take over. I certainly hope they’re having a good time as they do add fun to the show from my point of view.
The performance finishes with a story about his marriage break up and his obsession with The Rolling Stones and then in conclusion, to prove that he really did it (of course you’ll need to go see the show to find out what "it" is), he plays a rather amusing video ….
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Comments