Review: Grainne Maguire – Where are All the Fun Places? – Udderbelly Daisy, Edinburgh.

Grainne Maguire

Grainne Maguire lives in the big city now. She knows how to live the high life and has all the coolest friends in the world – or so she would lead you to believe. As she enters the room with thick glasses and a cardigan, we quickly become aware that her geeky, adorable exterior undercuts her ambitions to become more popular than Kate Middleton.

Where Are All The Fun Places And Are Lots of People There Having More Fun? begins with a lovely tale about an Irish family who, despite going on holiday every year, never make it to the intended destination of Clara Lara Fun Park. After Maguire realises she’s been missing out on the best time of her life, she decides from then on she would never be left out of fun again. That’s the main hook in the narrative, anyway.

Maguire’s expectations of fun are pretty low, as are her expectations of everything else in life. This is the spin that makes her character so adorable. The mishaps, desperation, and misrepresentations of material possessions that encircle this poor, unfortunate girl, make her so genuinely funny. Maguire is not your typical comic, pushing for the limelight. But she’s a quiet, likeable figure that can hold a room despite her understated presence.

The material is a mish-mash of ideas – and varies in quality too – but the narrative just about holds together nicely over the hour. From an unhealthy obsession with the Labour Party to kissing the wrong boys, Maguire’s life is a real-life Bridget Jones flick; not too be taken too seriously, but a feel good, big-knickers approach to comedy none of the less.

Date of live review: Saturday 18th August 2012.