Mrs Brown Rides Again (tour)

Brendan O’Carroll‘s comic creation Agnes Brown returns to wreak havoc at a theatre near you. The audience for this “tell it like it is” character and her brood has grown considerably. But does part three in the series follow the rule of film sequels, in that it ends up being a plot-less rehash of all that has gone before? Well, yes and no.

In Mrs Brown Rides Again, the lady of the title overhears details of her children’s plot to have her put into a home. To avoid being sent away, the mammy with the foul mouth and dirty laugh decides to live life to the fullest. Which she must do while also contending with a host of other family problems. Like the previous instalments, the result is really just a series of sketches.

O’Carroll again gives Mrs Brown abundant stage time and rightly so as she’s a hilarious comic creation – part monster, part caring mother, always ready with a put down. The problem is that many of the supporting cast are left completely overshadowed. So much so that Fiona O’Carroll and Jennifer Gibney keep erupting with laughter, apparently forgetting that they’re supposed to be acting.

The blame for the show’s uneven character development must lie with writer, also O’Carroll. Sure, Mrs Brown is a hoot all on her own – but then why not make this a stand-up show à la Al Murray‘s pub landlord? Luckily, the excellent Eilish McHugh and Paddy Houlihan rise above the script’s flaws, investing their roles as neighbour and son with high emotion.

The series’ negative gay representation is also back and more overblown than ever. Camp hairdressers wearing flamboyant shirts may seem more appropriate in a Hollywood blockbuster from the Eighties, but the audience keep laughing at this dated humour so it will no doubt return again. A travesty really, the script is funny enough without resorting to this ilk of cheap shot.

Mrs Brown will no doubt keep on riding based on the audience’s reaction to this latest show. But before he picks up his pen for another instalment, O’Carroll would do well to watch an episode of the TV’s Shameless for some tips on how to sympathetically portray dysfunctional straight and gay characters, minus the cartoon stereotypes. If he spent more time fine-tuning his writing, his material could be much better and just as much fun. For now, it remains amusing but patchy.

– Glenn Meads (reviewed at the Opera House, Manchester)