by **** (out of 5) for the show
** 1/2 for the venue
This is a four-star show in a two-and-a-half-star venue. Sometimes the room really can undermine and upstage the act. It means more work for the crowd to get into and stay in a proper mood. More work for Lucas O’Neil to get us there. It takes a moment or two but once he gets rolling, he rolls with the sense of humor and sensibilities akin to the late Bob Saget. But Saget if he weren’t a dirty comic but rather the guy folks who only knew him from TV and thought him to be. Very clever. Which is to say, jokes like: “Do you know where my friends were after school? I didn’t.” O’Neil jokes he was in therapy since seventh grade, and his therapist thought his Fringe show’s title was spot on. The comedian tells us what makes this different from a club show is the sincerity. He also jokes about cancer and death and his relationship with his dad. So, a proper Fringe show. If it were in a more comfortable venue, he’d be doing even better.
Lucas O’Neil: Emotional Man runs through Aug. 27 at Just The Tonic at The Caves
