The Laughter Lounge, a first purpose built comedy club for Ireland opens in Dublin.
For a number of years, large scale British comedy venues have been the breeding ground for many of Ireland's top comedians. Now the Laughter Lounge will be a showcase for new, emerging Irish talent, as well as attracting some of the best of international acts. The venue is located in the old Screen Cinema building on Dublin’s Eden Quay.
The Laughter Lounge opening night sees stand-up performances from Irish comedians Dylan Moran, Mark Doherty and Barry Murphy and English comedians Steve Frost and Miles Crawford.
In attendance is Dara Ó Briain who thinks Irish audiences are very savvy. Comedian Deirdre O’Kane agrees,
I think Irish audiences are very sophisticated and quite demanding but I think that’s a good thing.
Steve Frost likes performing to audiences in Ireland as,
In London they can be very cynical, fold their arms and go yeah.
Miles Crawford enjoys playing to a participatory audience as it suits his style of comedy. Steve Frost dislikes hecklers but welcomes encouragement from the audience. As his comic style is conversational, rather than straight forward joke telling, he does not tend to get heckled.
The Laughter Lounge can seat 320 people with additional standing room for another 70. It will open three nights a week initially, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Cork brewery Murphy's has agreed a three year sponsorship deal with venue.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 January 1998. The reporter is Sharon Ní Bheoláin.
