**** 4 Stars

I have been a fan of Tara Flynn for a few years now and feel this talented Irish lady deserves to be a far bigger star than she already is. In recent times I have mainly seen her do either Impro or stand-up, with occasional forays into compereing gigs and it was a shock to the system to see that her Fringe offering was a singing gig, albeit of funny songs. Then from the long archived memory banks I recalled that Tara used to be in The Nuala’s, a female trio who specialised in poking fun at the Irish way of life in there comedy songs, so may be it wasn’t such a departure for her.

Ms Flynn is playing in a bijou space, but one that gets rather warm, so sensibly and elegantly she took to the stage wearing tailored shorts and a waistcoat, then proceeded to raise the temperature by getting everyone laughing and clapping as the audience are treated to her versatile singing voice. She runs through more than a dozen self-penned song, each a different style.

C&W rub cheeks with Tekno, Quirky songs with ballads, French inspired song with…  the list just goes on.

What did not go on long enough for us however was the duration of the show. The sweat box had been forgotten by one for nearly an hour when the last song was announced. I, as could us all, would have been happy for much more.

The only thing personally I would have slightly changed was have her showcase a bit more of her stand-up skills in the links between the tracks, but that was not her intention this year.

So for the busy timeslot she is playing, why not take a break from the normal stand-up fare and check out this Big Noise, if only for the crack.

****

Reviewed by Geoff

Gilded Balloon Wee Room V 14

4 – 29 August (not 17)

20-15 to 21-05

Fringe Brochure Page 130