Most will be aware of Rob Delaney through his Twitter exploits; a prolific tweeter who has amassed over 600,000 followers, Delaney has risen from relative obscurity to be crowned as Comedy Central's 'funniest man' on the social networking site. Such is the buzz surrounding him that his London shows sold out in just an hour. In spite of this, I didn't know what to expect from his stand up routine and the question lingered as to whether Rob could take his unique brand of 140-character-based-humour and successfully translate it to the stage.
Most of these fears were instantly eradicated when Delaney immediately proved himself to be a warm, relaxed and confident comedic presence. Vaguely reminiscent of Louis CK, Delaney is a far more anecdotal comedian than one would've (perhaps naively) assumed, and tends to steer clear from one-liners and definitive punchlines. His whole routine is a combination of the puerile and the sublime, with every joke hitting its mark emphatically.
Delaney has this kind of loveable everyman presence about him as he launches into the recounting of the chaotic narrative of his life. Hanging on to every word of his finely tuned and expertly delivered anecdotes, the audience is drawn in by Delaney's laissez-faire charm as he flippantly reveals details about a near-fatal drink driving accident and a stint in a psychiatric hospital. When dealing with the more explicit content such as the perils of masturbating with two broken arms, he has the wit and skill to avoid slipping into misogyny, something which sets him apart from so many of his contemporaries.
In short, Rob certainly meets all the criteria required for the clutches of stardom to grab hold of him and whisk him away.