Entertainment

160 years of craic and laughs in You Must Be Joking show

May McFettridge aka John Linehan
May McFettridge aka John Linehan May McFettridge aka John Linehan

YOU Must Be Joking, the ongoing tour of Northern Ireland by veteran comedians John Linehan, Jimmy Cricket, Gene Fitzpatrick and William Caulfield, amounts to a case of Four Men and a Lady.

John's alter ego May McFettridge has her own slot while the north Belfast man acts as MC for the show which, as well as gags coming at a fast and furious pace, promises a song or two from each of the performers.

The tour finishes this weekend, with performances tomorrow evening at the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine and then Island Hall at Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn, on Saturday night.

With a combined track record of more than a century and a half on the road, each of the comics has entertained audiences at home and abroad. It seems they have not lost any of their allure either – their Grand Opera House show in Belfast last month was sold out.

"We must have 155 or 160 years combined experience on the comedy circuit here," said John, "And it's also brilliant to get the original team together for another tour.

"I did a couple of television shows with Gene and Jimmy but I also did a couple of pantos in the Opera House with him so we all go a long way back. The jokes haven't changed over the years. Why would they? It's the same old money."

Musicians Ivan Black and Crawford Bell provide musical accompaniment, with May McFettridge, as John put it, 'murdering' Tammy Wynette's hit record Stand By Your Man.

:: Tickets from ulster.ac.uk/riverside and laganvalleyisland.co.uk