Tucked away in a corner of Pleasance Courtyard, Glenn Moore delights a packed crowd with an hour of non-stop puns and twisted humour. His show centres around his decision to move from journalism to stand-up comedy, detouring through his childhood, family and relationships. The overarching theme of speaking one’s mind links the intense concentration of jokes together, keeping the audience laughing at impressively regular intervals. Moore crafts his jokes carefully, setting up expectations which he manages to subvert every time without becoming predictable. In this way, the high quantity of puns skirt around the obvious. Some puns returned as allusions with varying success; they link the jokes together but a few were not strong enough to be repeatedly entertaining.
Moore crafts his jokes carefully, setting up expectations which he manages to subvert every time without becoming predictable
My main criticism for Moore would be pacing and intensity. He constantly speaks so fast that at times it is hard to keep up with the sheer quantity of information being thrown at the audience. It also meant that the intensity was immediately at its highest, making it hard for Moore to build the show to a sense of climax. Having constant short jokes increased the chance of constant laughter, but it was also exhausting. It would have been more effective to pick the strongest jokes and slow them down, using varying pace to build to more satisfying punch lines.
That being said, Moore still did have a longer, subtle political message that was effective in a comic era that encourages profundity. In a world that seems obsessed with everyone having an opinion, Moore achieves a dialogue about the perils and benefits of speaking your mind. Moore avoids making the message too deep, reminding us that his life of comparative ease and success does not make him the best candidate for a sob story.
This show is a high speed romp through an astonishing number of jokes which mostly hit their mark. If you’re looking for a light-hearted way to spend an afternoon, this is a solid choice of stand up.
