Let us be the first to say it: Maeve Higgins is a national treasure. It's been a while since we've been at a comedy gig and had to actually force ourselves to stop laughing in order to draw breath. Higgins is one of Ireland's best comics at the moment – even if she's no longer a resident here – but her time in the States has given her plenty of new material, at least.
Acting as MC on a bill headlined by her old mucker David O'Doherty, we could easily have listened to Higgins all night – particularly her list of impressions (her 'put-upon civil servant' and 'Antony from Antony and the Johnsons' almost had us crying). In terms of timing, originality and downright hilarity, she is a star.
There's a deftness to Higgins' jokes that just isn't present in Nick Kroll's material. Kroll plunders the bawdier end of the comedic spectrum, which means if you enjoy hearing stories about comedians shitting themselves (literally), you're in luck. Admittedly we're newcomers to his material, yet while he's a star on the US comedy scene thanks to his series The League, his set – at least last night – didn't really do it for us.
John Mulaney, on the other hand, is someone that we'll certainly be returning to. If there's one thing an Irish audience loves, it's hearing international comedians' take on Irish culture and society and coincidentally, Mulaney's arrival in Dublin coincided with a taxi journey that had Joe Duffy's 'Liveline' on the radio. It made for an exceptionally funny skit, to say the least. The Chicagoan, who has worked as a writer on Saturday Night Live in the past, also riffed on his Irish Catholic upbringing and his new marriage; his set undoubtedly proved one of the funniest of the evening.
It was up to headliner David O'Doherty to cap off the opening night's proceedings. If you've seen DO'D in the past – which we have, many a time – you'll be well aware that he's one of the best Irish comedians out there and his songs and stories are typically brilliant. Last night, his set was eclipsed by some of his peers, but that's more down to our over-familiarity with his material. Still, there's never a time when his musical reflections on life – as evidenced in the song, err, 'Life' – aren't funny, and we have yet to see him do a bad gig.
Each comedian mentioned above is making further appearances at the Vodafone Comedy Fest over the next three days – see vodafonecomedy.com for full listings.
