Review of comedian Jarlath Regan, published on Fresh Air online, 14/08/08.

Jarlath Regan’s new show, Relax the Cax, is his most self-deprecating yet, as Regan jokes about him facing up to his fear of fighting.

Regan sweetly thanks the packed out room for coming. He instantly mocks the people on the front row, likening them to the friend who gets stuck in the front of the taxi, while the others are “in the back, having the craic!”

The anecdote of when a traffic warden squared up to Regan sets the basis for the show, in which Regan comically acts out the “de-masculating” experience of timidly accepting the car clamp and wandering back hurt, emotionally, to his fiancé who merely laughs in response.

Regan also introduces some audience participation in this light-hearted show. At one point asking an audience member to perform a heckle that Regan had seen directed towards a compére at an Irish comedy festival, which led to rapturous applauds and giggles for the excellent performances of Regan and Dave the audience member.

Regan rounded off his set with his infamous greeting cards “for situations that modern greeting card companies don’t currently cater for”, which sent the audience into fits of laughter.

Relax the Cax was an hour of Irish charm, cheeky one-liners and heart-warming giggles. It is Regan’s dulcet Irish accent that really sets the tone of his set and relaxes the audience into a late-afternoon stand-up show, but don’t expect to be laughing out loud.