Melbourne comedy festival review by Steve Bennett

Last year, Josh Glanc caught the eye with his show Manfül, an exuberant grotesque about toxic masculinity and hidden insecurities.

For his follow-up, he’s ditched the idea of any overarching concept to link his daft, energetic sketches. Although he announces that  this is his first stand-up show, the arsenal of  mime, voiceover, props and music he deploys soon gives lie to that idea.

But by going for a fragmented approach, Glanc has sacrificed a cohesion not just in the theme, but also in the personality he projects. Unlike, say, Sam Simmons, who uses a similar box of tricks, Glanc’s sketches could be performed by almost anyone, there’s nothing particularly ‘Glancian’ about them.

However he’s having fun with the possibilities the theatrical gimmicks offer, which easily transmits to the audience. He enjoys subverting some conventions, from blatantly stealing a stand-up routine – which ironically enough turns out to be a wholly original concept – to exposing the limitations of mime, which is a little bit more of a well-worn path. What comic acting out some activity hasn’t stopped to deconstruct it?

He performs – largely in an outfit which exposes his luxuriantly hirsute chest – with a confidence and playful commitment to concepts we know to be preposterous, from the very adult-sounding tot at the other end of his baby monitor to his po-faced history of bubblegum eurodance group Aqua, treated with the reverence usually reserved for serious-minded prog-rockers. 

Glanc gives his ideas a lot of space, which could seem over-indulgent if the audience don’t climb on board. Thankfully, this lawyer-turned comedian is very persuasive, even if the ideas are of inconsistent quality.  Nevertheless, there’s a lot of inventive thought gone into Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chamedian – and never underestimate the appeal of a man at play and clearly enjoying it so much.

Review date: 31 Mar 2018
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival