****
4 stars

Patrick Monahan is well known as a likeable, charming comedian, and while this is his first show aimed at children “aged five to 105,” the fun factor shows his stage presence isn’t wasted here either.

His interaction with the audience is funny, and fast paced, from casual chatting and banter to challenging, high-energy dance routines that the youngsters try to join in.

In this show he told a ‘never before told’ fable of the greedy Quiz Master, which is fun, without being overly moralistic, and the whole thing has an unstoppable feel-good factor throughout.

This isn’t to say that it’s all about the kids – there are plenty of chances for the adults to join in making sound effects, and Pat keeps them laughing with regular ‘throw-away’ lines on more grown up topics, such as the credit crunch, and his own suffering health.

It’s hard to believe it’s an hour’s show, as it whooshes by so fast. It may officially be aimed at the 5-8s, but there were older-siblings in their teens obviously having fun too, and this was definitely entertainment for all the family.

This is a new development for this talented comedian, and definitely a route he should pursue – so long as he doesn’t exhaust himself too much doing so!

Gill