Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Home » Reviews » MICF »
Tale of Two Cities | Daniel Moore
Written by Simonne Michelle-Wells   
Saturday, 11 April 2009 02:31
Tale of Two Cities | Daniel MooreThe 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

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy
 
rushTIXAustralian Stage JobsMembers Area
 

Most Read

Most Read Reviews

Them Crooked Vultures
They're such ripper riffers, there isn't much need for anything else. Yet there's more besides, including an engaging sense of self-deprecating humour, not necessarily always found in egomaniacal ro...
The Beach Boys with the MSO
The Beach Boys, or rather The Beach Boy (Mike Love, who owns the name) and friends, have been touring for over four decades and perform around 150 shows a year. For three nights with the Melbourne S...
The Sapphires! | Black Swan State Theatre Company
Energetic, passionate, heart wrenching, uplifting, hilarious, and engaging. Any and all of these words can be used to describe this brilliant production of The Sapphires directed by Wesley Enoch.
Oedipus Rex & Symphony of Psalms | Sydney Festival
Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex & Symphony of Psalms is a masterpiece which transcends time and place, harnessing the power of many languages and hundreds of local and internationally acclaimed artists...
Live at the Quarry | The Ten Tenors
If you haven’t been to see an act at the Quarry, you’ll need to get yourself a ticket because it’s one of Perth’s most unique, intimate and beautiful venues.

Most Read News

Holding The Man to open in West End
La Boite Theatre has announced Artistic Director David Berthold's acclaimed original production of Tommy Murphy's award-winning Holding The Man will transfer to London's West End in May, starring Kath and Kim's Jane Turner.
Marion Potts Announced as Malthouse Theatre's New Artistic Director
Malthouse Theatre today announced that Marion Potts will take over as Artistic Director after Michael Kantor’s departure at the end of 2010.
Applications Open for Sydney Fringe
The Sydney Fringe, a multidiscipline cultural event set within the theatres, galleries, clubs and public spaces of the inner west, and showcasing the independence and irreverence of Sydney’s creative community, today announced the opening of the submission process for the 2010 festival.
Ignite Your Imagination at the 2010 National Play Festival
PlayWriting Australia announces the full list of participants in this year’s National Play Festival, which is taking place at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts Brisbane from February 15-20.
Amanda Harrison to leave the cast of Wicked
It was announced today that Amanda Harrison, who has played the role of Elphaba, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West in the musical WICKED since it opened in Melbourne two years ago, is moving on.