Fringe review: Begorrah

This trio’s comedy is drawn along international lines, with boundless energy to power it along

Foil, Arms and Hog: Begorrah

Smock Alley Theatre

***

Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Foil, Arms and Hog are back in Dublin with a vibrant, fast-paced performance. The comedy trio encourage full audience participation, with a New York spectator roped into not one but two sketches. His initial bemusement at shouting “gringo” at a bunch of Irish lads is entirely surpassed by opening a shaken, bubbling can in front of a packed-out theatre.

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The Dublin boys take a more international approach to their Dublin Fringe performance, encouraging roars of olé and arriba in their Mexican saloon setting. This quickly transforms into a west of Ireland home, where alcoholism is accompanied by overly-"begorrah" Irish accents. As Sean Finnegan (Foil) reminds the audience, we can be "just a little racist".

The audience delight in the swift transitions from French theatrical group to narcissistic song collections ("there's no i in team, but there should be"), American Christian rock to Brennan's Bread jingles.

Despite the hilarity of a slow motion dildo attack, the comedy trio often revert to their clichéd and arguably overused west of Ireland skit. However, a revised Radiohead rendition and a passionate embrace between Foil and Hog reveal the trio's boundless energy and ability to bring hilarity back home to their Irish audience.

Ends Sept 14

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter specialising in immigration issues and cohost of the In the News podcast