Review – Jimeoin: What?!

Jimeoin is a world-famous comedian with 20 odd years of live gigs under his belt – and in his new show, ‘What?!’, it kinda shows – in unexpected ways.

On the one hand, his style of observational comedy has been pretty consistent throughout the years. In this show, he still has audiences cracking up over random “yes, that’s so true!” moments, as well as physical gags like making fun of latecomer awkwardly moving through the aisles. His jokes about his family also have that tiny touch of love and sentiment that makes it OK for him later to make a joke about punching an old woman in the head, or making his wife smell his farts. And yeah, the man has a naturally funny looking face – all he has to do is grin in the right way and the audience is ready for the punchline.

But the sense of preparation and the momentum that can only come with a show that’s at least vaguely planned just wasn’t there. When there are pauses that go for longer than a few seconds, or when there’s filler material, or when the audience interaction doesn’t come off right, there’s an awkward tension in the air, and it takes a pretty big joke to lift it again. Most of all, he just seemed a bit tired at times. As someone who’s seen The Craic and a few odd Gala spots by Jimeoin on the telly, I guess I was expecting a more high energy set.

If you’re already a fan of his acting and standup work, go along. But if not, save your cash and go see a variety show or an emerging comic.