David Mirvish introduces Toronto to the colourful world of Mrs. Brown
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Brendan O’Carroll as Mrs. Agnes Brown. |
How Now Mrs. Brown Cow! is a wildly hilarious Irish comedy written, directed by and starring Brendan O’Carroll. O’Carroll created Mrs. Agnes Brown, a widowed Dublin mother of six for a programme on Irish radio in 1990. The program ended up running for three years and 500-plus episodes. The series was then adapted into stage plays and has since enjoyed immense success in both Ireland and England. Part five in the Mrs. Brown series, How Now Mrs. Brown Cow! has finally made it to North America. In this latest episode, Agnes and her working-class Dublin family prepare for the Christmas holidays in a gut-busting comic performance riddled with foul language and offensive humour. Welcome to Canada, Mrs. Brown. We love you!
[Lulu and Kitty after the North American premiere of How Now Mrs. Brown Cow! at the Canon Theatre in Toronto.]
Lulu: Oh my God [wipes her eyes]. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. That was priceless!
Kitty: I know! Brendan O’Carroll is absolutely brilliant. Agnes Brown is in a class of her own. She’s like a crude Irish Mrs. Doubtfire and a female Archie Bunker combined with her lovable ignorance and tough love.
Lulu: Totally, she’s completely out there, but also somewhat familiar. I love her nasty but nice attitude.
Kitty: Yeah, her vulgar remarks and sarcastic quips are especially funny because of her role as the matriarch. We’re not used to seeing mothers and grandmothers being abusive to their children and swearing like sailors. Ha! And the fact that she delivers those lines wearing a cardigan and little old lady clothes is just amazing.
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Brendan O’Carroll (Agnes Brown). |
Lulu: O’Carroll is an incredible physical comedian. His mannerisms, the way he moves, it’s genius. He’s actually pretty convincing as a woman. Don’t you think?
Kitty: [Nods repeatedly.] Oh yeah. His laugh — or cackle — is unforgettable, too. The audience nearly wet themselves. Even the cast couldn’t keep it together when he ad libbed in certain scenes. It was funny to watch them lose it on stage. He’s so quick on his feet. And it’s cool how the show’s format is set up like a sitcom. BBC One has commissioned a comedy series of the Mrs. Brown stories. The first episode will be broadcast in December 2010.
Lulu: I can’t wait! It was a great opening night. The audience gave him a standing ovation and O’Carroll continued his stand up in the thank you speech. I think the show will be very well received in Canada. Apparently O’Carroll posted a Mrs. Brown video on YouTube in December 2009 and it has over two million hits — a large percentage of the viewers were from Canada. The British media has labeled Mrs. Brown the “Susan Boyle of Comedy.”
Kitty: I can see why. The show is unbelievably entertaining and heartwarming, too. You’d have to have a funny bone of steel not to laugh at this stuff. Hats off to Mirvish for taking a risk with this unconventional and potentially controversial show. It’s not for everyone obviously, but for those who like this kind of humour it’s comedy gold.
Lulu: Get ready for the funniest shock of your life, Toronto!
How Now Mrs. Brown Cow! runs until September 4 at the Canon Theatre. Visit the Mirvish website for tickets to this limited engagement performance.
I too attended opening night and still have aching abs from all of the laughing I did.
This kind of comedy is all too rare! I think we have to lighten up on this side of the pond and indulge in this kind of all-out hilarity as often as we can!
Thanks for your feedback, Hezgill! We totally agree!