| Tale of Two Cities | Daniel Moore |
| Written by Simonne Michelle-Wells |
| Saturday, 11 April 2009 02:31 |
 The first
thing I thought of when I saw Daniel Moore and musician Emma Heeney was just
how much Moore looks like British actor James Nesbitt and Heeney looks like
Maggie Gyllenhaal. Seriously, they really do. If they ever get of sick of
stand-up, I have little doubt that they could have legitimate careers as
look-alikes. Actually, that was my second thought. My first was all about
guilt. Guilt, and fear. It’s hard to admit this, but I missed the opening of Moore’s show. Let me
categorically state that I wasn’t late, I just hadn’t realised that the show
had gone in already. You see, Moore
is performing in a side room at The Forum that’s rather easy to overlook. He
used my lateness and the size of the venue (stating that he might be the only
comedian at the festival to have a poster for his show larger than the venue he
performs it in) to exercise his impressive improv skills and, thankfully, made
me feel comfortable about my tardiness.
Moore’s routine is built around a narrative about his transition from Sydney to Melbourne to further his career. His style is natural and simple and his self-deprecating delivery works well. From tales about narcoleptic teachers to his grisly-stumped, one-armed Grandmother, he maintains a sort of apologetic innocence that works well with the material. Though there are times throughout the hour where you can clearly see him thinking, which disrupts the flow somewhat, he manages the pace well. I found Heeney to be an odd addition to the show, to be honest. Almost as if Moore sat down and wondered what he could include that would give his show a point of difference, rather than having Heeney’s music become an organic part of the narrative. It’s strange that Moore and Heeney don’t interact at all, to the point where Heeney actually looks at the wall next to her for the entire time she isn’t performing. Even when she is performing it feels self-indulgent because she never looks at or engages with the audience, which, for such an intimate space, doesn’t work well at all. She’s a wonderful musician, no doubt, but I’m not sure that her part in Moore’s show really adds much to it. Still, I’d advise you to watch out for Moore; he’s a talent on the rise. a Mic in Hand Daniel Moore Tale of Two Cities Venue: Forum Theatre - Carpet Room | Cnr Flinders & Russell Sts, Melbourne (Licensed venue. Under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian) Dates: 2 - 26 April Times: Tue-Sat 7.15pm, Sun 6.15pm Duration: 55 minutes Tickets: Full $16.50, Concession $14 Bookings: Ticketek 132 849 | at the door
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