Laconic for the Troops: Hot Press meets Jimmy Carr

The idea of placing a gagging order on Jimmy Carr is inspired at best, futile at worst. Carr, after all, is relentless when it comes to his craft, throwing out one-liners at a rate that would make Stewart Francis jealous. It’s not as if he confines himself to the stage either. One only needs to glance at his Twitter feed for a regular and steady string of succinct musings.

So it’s with some degree of knowing self-reflection that Carr takes to Dublin’s Olympia Theatre from November 29 – December 2 under the Gagging Order moniker. Among the snappy and snide mini-jokes, Carr finds time to throw himself to the lions, casting light upon the recent controversy over his tax avoidance. His most vicious barbs are reserved for others, naturally.
One funnyman who tends to go the other way is Jason Manford, who takes over Vicar Street for two nights on November 29 and 30. The Manchester native dropped Carr’s name in the last issue of Hot Press as he reflected upon his comedic lot. Manford pointed out that whilst Carr is more of a rapid-fire gag merchant, his own work is informed by real-life situations, leading to the inevitable, risky ‘Kids Say The Funniest Things’ stage of his career.
“At the moment, my kids are about the last 20 minutes of my set,” he noted. “It’s about having toddlers and them coming into the world. Getting up early, doing all of those things. So I imagine, the next tour will be when they’re hitting 9 or 10? So you’ve managed to build up a load of stuff. Although, you don’t want to force yourself into things... ‘Right, we better move house so I can experience a load of things about moving house’,  y’know?
“Even now I look at them and go ‘Look kids, I know you’re only four, but you better start doing some funny things, making some funny friends. Because if you like this house and you like your holidays, then you need to make sure you keep your daddy in material!’”
Closer to home, Pat Shortt brings his I Am The Band show to Clonakilty’s Inchydoney Lodge & Spa on November 23 and Vicar Street for a two-night run (29 – 30). Shortt’s latest creation charts the life and times of lounge lizard Dixie Walsh, a character only previously glimpsed in the Tipperary man’s work, now given full focus. Meanwhile, Tommy Tiernan’s zany World Tour of Tipperary continues apace as the motormouth comedian hits up the Ormond Hotel (November 22), the Cahir House Hotel (23), the Racket Hall Country House (24) and the Anner Hotel (29).