When comedians get heckled it is usually because they are as funny as having hemorrhoids, but Daniel Moore got interrupted because he was brilliant at what he was doing.
Obviously the three middle-aged women in question took Daniel’s conversational style as permission to joke about, among other things, his success with females.
Fortunately, the Sydney lad managed to hush the ladies without humiliating them for acting like galahs.
Daniel’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) show, Something Better, was a funny and sometimes touching look at “distractions and happiness”.
Daniel, who had the, ahem, immense fortune of playing in a large room in a backpackers hostel, discussed a range of topics including his former job in advertising, his pothead housemate, technology and his physical attractiveness.
“I’m not the best looking guy in the world…not even in the top three” was a nice line that suggested Daniel is as skilled at wishful thinking as he is at humour (sorry, I am a woman of a certain age).
While there were times when he talked too fast and seemed uncomfortable in his seat, the comic was always engaging and entertaining, and managed to chat about his life without sounding like a self-obsessed jerk.
Perhaps having a father who has experienced numerous health problems has made Daniel the “pessimistic optimist” he claimed to be, which in relation to his act meant he delved into negative things but was hopeful in a pragmatic way.
The material about his dad brought gravitas to the night, and, thankfully, no cheap sentimentality.
The stand-up, who as mentioned previously was sitting down, also proved to be adept at improvisation, with digs in response to the presence of a school teacher proving to be as humorous as the scripted stuff.
Except for Lawrence Leung, Daniel was the only artist I saw at MICF who made me think to myself; “This bloke was born to be a comedian”.
“Something Better” is playing at MICF until the 29th of April. Check the MICF website for booking details.