It was a balmy Friday night in Perth as I settled into my seat at the Astor Theatre.

The lights went down, the song Hot Stuff started to play and out came dancing Irish comedian Jimeoin. He dances in the way uncles and dads do at family events – terribly. My face instantly broke into a smile. It gave me that warm, ‘coming home’ feeling, and the audience was instantly put at ease.

I’ll just say it now – everyone was laughing throughout the entire show.

Jimeoin is successful in making people laugh through re-telling the things he observes in his everyday life. He relates to the young and old. While he is mildly inappropriate and lacks a filter at times, everyone ends up laughing.

He mixes on-point pop-culture references with timeless jokes that always get the crowd laughing. He makes comparisons between his childhood and adult life, talking about his life as a husband and even covering more female-specific observations.

Jimeoin’s observations ring true  for that older crowd who can relate to the things he talks about. But young adults also relate to him as they often observe their own older family members doing the same funny things that Jimeoin shares from his life as an aging husband.

He uses exaggerated facial expressions and body movements to add physical comedy to his jokes which creates a whole other level of performance.

The vibe he gives off at times is that of your funny uncle at family gatherings. You know the one: he’s loud, loves a pun and commands attention. But now he has a stage and all the attention. Jimeoin even admits to loving all the on-stage glory.

In the show, he picks up his guitar after a little over half way, “just to spice things up.”. He starts out with some short two-secondish “songs” and then works into some actual songs. The most memorable one is about dancing with girls at a bar as a young man; let’s just call it the STI Song. Everyone was listening intently and laughing on cue, which goes to show how he captivated the audience with his stories. His honesty is super relatable throughout the show.

Being able to engage the audience enough to keep them interested for a whole live show without getting bored is a real display of the man’s talents and his ability to deliver more than just a few lines. There is more depth in his live shows than his shorter appearances on television comedy festival appearances like at the Apollo, or The Montreal Comedy Festival.

Trust me – Jimeoin is worth a watch. You will definitely leave the theatre a little out of breath from laughing so hard.

Catch Jimeoin when he returns to Perth theatres later this year.

Image sourced from Buxton Opera House.org.