As Seen On Radio, Smock Alley

Angle Road Theatre Company's production As Seen on Radio is part of the Collaborations Festival 2015. The purpose of the festival is to give a platform for companies, new or established, to try out ideas in front of an audience. In fact, many shows from past Collaborations have gone on to do well at Fringe festivals, and beyond, so the idea and experience is something of a winner. 

As Seen on Radio is something of a winner, and crowd pleaser, as well, delivering a slice of comedy set in a rural radio station, interviewing the local heroes, advertising the local businesses and having their own personal lives to deal with. It is funny, crazy, irreverent, mad, even a touch ridiculous but above all, it is great fun.

The presenters, Brendan Feeney (Lorcan Strain) and Anna O'Dowd (Caoimhe Cassidy) take us through a few programmes at the station, with interviews, news, as well as forgetting to turn off their own microphones from time to time, and dealing with the odd crisis, personal and professional. It does have a sketch comedy show feel to it, as it moves nicely between each moment, the overall plot, not that there is much of one, is not as important as the characters that they create and the situations that evolve.

A stand out moment for me was when Caoimhe Cassidy gives it loads dancing round to Cher's If I Could Turn Back Time (written of course by the great Diane Warren) complete with cheesy dance steps a la 80s videos, making the most of the Boys' School space, with Lorcan Strain joining her towards the end. The impressive part was how they kept going for the whole song, not only a chorus and verse. Fabulously ridiculous and funny! While Cassidy shows off excellent characterisation and comic understanding throughout.

There was also the rendition of a song by Dom Flynn, "Steal Eyed Night" by Cassidy and Strain delivered with warmth and sung well by the duo, with Strain strumming along on the guitar as well. Over all, this short piece showed quite a range of skills, resulting in quite a lot of laughter from the audience on the night.

There was a device of having a 'listener' trying to phone in, or giving facial responses to what was going on in the studio, which worked at times, and not so much on other occasions. A bit like Alan Partidge's Mid Morning Matters, the focus is really on the studio and our presenters as well as the guests. Here it is really the same. But it is a small matter in itself, as the trio, including Louise Donlon, deliver a very funny half hour or so of warm, madcap comedy, directed and written by Marlene McCormack. It will leave you with a smile on your face and humming If I Could Turn Back Time.