Joby Mageean: Billy No-Immune System *****
The Newsroom, 18 August, 19:30
Reviewer: Jabe
Joby Mageean has enough charm & enthusiasm to power a small town.
He has put together a very witty 45 minutes interspersed with songs which are constantly surprising in their turns of phrase (both lyrical and musical), bullying choral gnomes and a memory of such capacity that it is almost a hindrance to him.
In the main, the set is about his life as someone with Bruton’s disease – which means he has no immune system – and how he dealt with being bullied at school.
His tactics for getting the bullies on-side are not entirely successful but always hilarious.
When he talks about the nature of bullying he is insightful about the mind of the bullied and still retains his gleeful delivery.
There is also material about adult life, his relationship, work & finding the inspiration to keep going; thankfully avoiding the mould of the Saturday evening glamour and glitz comedians.
The show passes quickly due to Joby’s energy and the sheer fun one has in his company. There does not feel like one dull moment.
We first became aware of Joby when he was doing 10 mins on History’s Greatest Monster and I am very glad to have sought out his solo show as a result of that.
He could probably go on for another hour or two…and one gets the feeling that he probably should. We look forward to more next year.
Expect great things from Joby Mageean.
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