Mrs. Brown Rides Again

If you haven't heard of Mrs. Brown and her boys, you're really missing out on some comedy greatness. Mrs. Brown's Boys started out as a comedy sitcom (seven seasons!) in Ireland and was so popular that it was picked up by The Beeb a couple years ago. So far, The BBC has shown two seasons and every episode has made me laugh out loud.

For Christmas, the DH and I bought tickets for me, him, his brother, and his brother's fiancee to go and see the stageshow, Mrs. Brown Rides Again. With everything being so up in the air for us right now, it was nice to have these tickets sitting in the house, waiting to be used. A night out was exactly what we needed.

So we got to get all dolled up and head into Cardiff for the night. I was looking forward to the show but not really looking forward to spending the night with the BIL and STB SIL. Not because I don't like them (which I do) but because I'm doing so well *touch wood* getting on top of the Depression and because they tend to be both very negative people - which I'm trying to avoid until I'm sure I can handle it.

I know that they don't mean to be inconsiderate, that's just the type of people they are. But I don't need people who make four times what I make in a year telling me about their financial problems. People with two homes in two different countries - who drive the sports car my DH has always wanted but could never afford - telling me how much their lives suck. You know what I mean. I just don't need that negativity in my life right now.

Anyway, back to the show...

The character of Mrs. Brown is played by Mr. Brendan O'Carroll and most of the cast are related in some way. They've been working together for a very, very long time and it shows in the way that they "play" with one another on stage. Some of the best bits of the shows were bloopers that resulted from one of the characters trying to stitch another one up.

It was a bit strange at first because the stage show covered a lot of stuff we'd seen in the first and second seaons on tv. I was expecting to be put off by that but, after a few minutes, I forgot I'd heard all the jokes before. It's all in the delivery, after all, and delivery is what Mrs. Brown's Boys do best.

If you haven't had a chance to see Mrs. Brown yet, either on the telly or on stage, I suggest that you do it. Immediately. You won't regret it. (I haven't seen the Irish version yet, though I have the box set here. I'll let you know what I think when I get around to it.)

There was a moment that really made me laugh, right at the end of the show. The DH warned me not to take one of the "big boys" (as he calls our semi-pro cameras) just in case they got uppity about it but since I forgot Ninja Camera's charger at my mom's in America (AGAIN), I was stuck with the Canon Powershot which is NOT my favourite. Partly for that reason and partly because I was busy laughing my head off, I didn't take many pictures. Besides, we were close to the stage but at the very end of the row and there was (as always) a very bald man in front of me, reflecting all the light from the flash. But I got enough - it's all about capturing the memory of "being there," anyway.

Well....

At the very end, as they all came back on, Mrs. Brown called for silence so "she" could make a speech and I thought that would make a great time to catch a quick photo. I wasn't alone, either! Three or four flashes all went off at about the same time and Mrs. Brown replied that we should all just disregard the signs that say "no flash photography," they were just for show. That was the cue for all the photographers in the audience to go nuts! (I discreetly slipped my camera back into my bag at that time. Heh.)

After the show, we wanted to go around the back of the arena to get autographs but the moment we stepped outside, we realised that was NOT going to happen. It wasn't just raining, it was a deluge. Within about ten seconds, we were soaked to the bone. So we made a dash for the car park instead - which was not easy because my makeup was running into my eyes, blinding me! I had to cling to the DH's arm and hope he remembered to warn me about curbs! A million flights of stairs (and a couple of near misses) later... We were faced with a very difficult decision: Strip naked in a public car park or ride all the way back to The Valleys soaking wet...

As you know, I am a comfortador. As you also know, I have no qualms about getting naked. Anywhere. So I got to ride home - mostly dry- wrapped in a nice warm blanket. The DH? He chose the other option. I swear... If he gets sick now, I'm going to laugh in his face and tell him he should have picked nudity!