Edinburgh Fringe review: Glenn Moore, Nephew to Three Gorgeous Uncles

One half of sketch duo Thünderbards (who are performing at Underbelly), Glenn Moore lays down a beautifully named Edinburgh hour – Nephew to Three Gorgeous Uncles – of clever writing and happily neat gags.

Moore’s second gig of the fringe was to a very petite Sunday night audience – not necessarily an overtly bad thing: we, the audience at least were an enthusiastic and engaged one (having actually been given the option by Moore to abandon the gig should we wish – declined by all, and for good reason).

Glenn Moore’s forty-five minutes are heavy with punchlines and proper gags; but his relaxed anecdotal style is an effectively low-key foil to what could end up being a show that bashes you about the head with jokes.

Every line has a smartly written punchline that Moore delivers with such a casual nonchalance that he has moved on to the next before the full impact of the first has hit.

Particularly impressive are Moore’s cleverly written word-play gags.

A neat little routine of alliterative suffixes was a low-key highlight; such is Moore’s style that however intelligently placed and crafted his material is, its impressiveness is always underplayed.

However, such is the volume – punchline after punchline, though without ever seeming overdone – that his writing ability is constantly apparent. This is very funny show, with no moment that Moore seems to struggle to fill.

There are a couple of instances where Moore’s matter-of-fact narrative style sees a routine get a bit lost – perhaps a larger audience would allow more room for awkward tailing off.

Moore was increasingly apologetic about his ‘work-in-progress of a work-in-progress’, but for such a claim this is really nicely polished – a very sharply funny show that already seems…worked.

Date of live review: Sunday 9 August 2015, 9:15pm @ Cowgatehead, Edinburgh

Click to read all our 2015 Edinburgh Fringe coverage so far.