Budapest's 'Gift Of The Gab' Final 2014

Over the years I've enjoyed many stand up/cabaret nights put on by people who have gone on to bigger and greater things.

What’s fab about Budapest's 'Gift Of The Gab' is that these are everyday people performing on stage. I met one of the contestants on a Irish Hungarian Business Circle trip to Göd Orphanage, and quite frankly I had no idea that this shy person could be so expressive and outlandish on stage.

"You either have it or you don’t", says local expat Mary Murphy, a woman who definitely has it, perhaps by virtue of her Irish roots. ‘It’, of course, is that (quintessentially Irish) ability to talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything, aka the 'Gift Of The Gab'. Now in its fourth season, this event is held over six months, building up to the final at New Orleans club.

About 170 people came out to support the five ‘2014 Gift of the Gab’ finalists. Joe Murphy bravely agreed to give the judges some practice, delivering a sacrificial prepared speech, which opened the evening. After this, the judges had a tough job ahead of them.

All the final speeches were entertaining, interesting, and humorous. But that was the easy part. The second section, the contestants - Viktor Morandini, Gretchen Meddaugh, Tasleem Lalji, Virginia Proud and Matt Tricks - were given random topics by the audience to talk about for 3 minutes.

There was very little to choose between the finalists, which made for a wonderful evening's entertainment, raising over HUF 500.000 for charity - definitely something to cheer about, congratulations to the organisers and sponsors.

Words and photos by Russell Skidmore for XpatLoop.com
After an extensive career in advertising - as an Art Director & Creative Director in London, Paris and Budapest for leading agencies - Russel transferred the skills and knowledge gained to the development of his own successful company covering wedding, event, PR and portrait photography: www.russell-skidmore-photography.co.uk