Joanne McNally returns to Edinburgh, leaving audiences gagging for more with her remarkably engaging storytelling. The Prosecco Express: Reimagined is sixty minutes of first grade, laugh-a-second comedy. We want more, Joanne.
Donned neck-to-toe in a leopard-print jumpsuit, the Dubliner slides down the centre aisle taking a moment to stop and chat with revellers, asking me, “why is no one sitting there….” gesturing to an empty seat at my right. As an avid listener of Joanne’s hilarious podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me, I’m slightly starstruck—although the comic maintains that nothing good ever comes from someone saying, "I'm a big fan".
Sidenote: a blonde Londoner quickly occupies the empty seat but insists on repeating every one of McNally's punchlines to the girl next to her throughout the entire show. Kill me.
After getting a somewhat lacklustre opening round of applause, McNally skips back behind the red curtain until she receives a “Saturday night at the Apollo” kind of applause and she gets that and more with the help of some audience participation.
Held in the Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh’s Old Town, the show is a reworking of a pre-pandemic gig, transformed for a post-Covid audience. McNally waxes lyrical about relationship trials and tribulations with sub-par men; cosmetic surgery and getting her "lips" done; the potential for motherhood; living in her mother's attic during the pandemic and plenty more to her rapt audience.
If you’re not familiar with the Millennial Queen of Irish Comedy, let’s dive in: hailing from the south side of the Fair City, Joanne originally worked in Public Relations before taking leave due to health issues. The thirty-three-year-old (she’s actually thirty-seven but insists on media keeping that a secret) accidentally fell into the world of stand up following a hit one-woman show about bulimia and anorexia before moving onto the small screen co-hosting Ireland’s flagship comedy show, The Republic of Telly. Since conquering the homeland, she’s moved across the pond to take over the UK with her brand of self-deprecating humour, which appears to be going down a treat to a more international audience. Joanne is now a staple on shows like Jonathan Ross and 8 Out of 10 Cats.
With a hit podcast, hosted alongside Irish model and presenter, Vogue Williams and multiple sold-out shows under her belt, I for one cannot wait to see what McNally does next.
For more info on where you can catch Joanne, visit www.joannemcnally.com.
