AGNES Brown, 'The Mammy', is an Irish legend totally new to me.

There have been videos, books, a radio series and even a Hollywood film featuring the foul-mouthed fifty-something, and over a million people have seen the plays in Ireland and the UK alone.

The audience at the beautiful Tyne Theatre was ready to rock, guffawing loudly every time Agnes mentioned the f-word, which was frequently.

I thought the effing and blinding obscured a lot of the genuinely funny dialogue, but maybe that's because that sort of language can still shock me.

The cast seems like family, very comfortable with each other and with Mammy, who clearly ad-libs without mercy.

In recent years comedy performers have taken to 'losing it' on stage, being so convulsed with laughter at their own antics that they are almost unable to continue.

This used to be considered unprofessional but these days, it's used as a device, and there was a lot of it going on in this play. The plot is negligible; the whole performance hinges on the coarse, vulgar, extremely funny middle-aged lady of the title.

And there's the genius of Brendan O'Carroll. Not once did I think 'this bloke's going too far' because he's so utterly convincing as Agnes, even though you know it's really a man.

I would have enjoyed it more if the swearing had been less. And I loathed the bikini wax scene.

* Runs until June 4. Booking office: 0870 1451200.

Published: 26/05/2005