I feared this show may be a fairly pedestrian approach to newly becoming a father and Gen Ys hopeless attempts at taking on the adult roles of the previous generation- and I was so wrong! This stage performance by Auckland comedian Joseph Moore is nothing like its generic appearance and I am extremely blown away and impressed by his novel approach to comedy.

Moore begins with the desperate flailing of a new dad – periodically checking on his child who is ostensibly sleeping back stage. We see the classic struggle between leaving the single, childless, carefree life for the joys and responsibilities of having a family. Things start to get weird when a green spotlight apprehends Moore to show the powerful influence of “the illegal drug, weed” from his former lifestyle.

The narrative really takes off when Moore becomes desperate for money to support his young family. He’s not making it as a comedian so he resorts to desperate measures … [spoiler averted] We follow Moore on a tumultuous journey involving [more spoilers aveted]. Every new twist and turn is unexpected and holds an impressive variety of comedic value. 

Moore uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to portray alternative pasts and potential futures, using simple yet effective stage gimmicks to portray these various situations. He engages in dialogue with voice-overs and off stage torch lights to further develop the narrative. The audience themselves even become part of the action in this intense and suspense-filled narrative.

The latter part of the show includes a number of throwbacks to earlier moments in the show, revealing Moore’s skill in comedic construction. 

It’s really exciting to see a stand-up comedian branching out of the traditional form and doing so extremely successfully. There is a future for comedy, hooray!  

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