Good Mourning Mrs. Brown

Reviewed by Paula Citron

Good Mourning Mrs. Brown
Mirvish Productions
Written and directed by Brendan O’Carroll
Performed by Brendan O’Carroll, Jennifer Gibney, Dermot O’Neill, Eilish O’Carroll, Paddy Houlihan, Rory Cowan, Fiona O’Carroll, Amanda Woods and Danny O’Carroll
Princess of Wales Theatre
Mar. 8 to 19, 2011

After I saw Good Mourning Mrs. Brown, I left the theatre with a real sense of well being. It is true that laughter is a balm for the soul.

For those not in the know, Mrs. Agnes Brown, played by Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll in drag, is the salty matriarch of a large Dublin family. Most of the actors are O’Carroll’s own relatives. The humour comes from Mrs. Brown’s treatment of her family. Her outrageous one-liners are pure gold, although her language is very blue.

Good Mourning Mrs. Brown follows hard on the heels of How Now Mrs. Brown Cow! which played in town last August. The good news is that the other three Mrs. Brown shows will all be coming to Toronto courtesy of the Mirvishes.

I had more than a few belly laughs. What a wonderful tonic for the winter blues. O’Carroll is a comic genius.

Good Mourning Mrs. Brown continues at the Princess of Wales Theatre until Mar. 19.