Josh Glanc @ Monkey Barrel
Josh Glanc brings fresh, hot chaos to the Edinburgh Fringe with Family Man
Although the title Family Man suggests a theme, Josh Glanc’s hour is more a patchwork of ideas, held together by a recurring motif – how he met his (likely fictional) wife. Across jingle-like songs, characters and friendly audience participation, Glanc builds a carefree hour of silliness – a real tonic for current times.
The comic has a love of chaos, trying to jump from one bit to the next without caring for smooth transitions or neatly blended segues. His energy leaps from stage to seat, with this particular audience firing on all cylinders. Glanc has an excellent knack for choosing the right people to participate, with him playing second fiddle to at least two brilliant volunteers in this performance. We imagine that’s not always replicated, but Glanc, like any clown worth their salt, is adept at getting his audience to understand their assignment quickly and succinctly.
The show’s recurring elements, such as his wife song followed by a complete show restart, do wear a little thin by the end of the hour. They don’t quite kill the show’s momentum, but do hinder it. There’s also a part of you which thinks that a couple of these instances could be swapped out for some different ideas, comic innovations which you’re confident Glanc has up his hyper-cropped baby-tee sleeve. With that in mind, Family Man does feel fizzing with life, with the sense that no two shows would be the same. There’s a palpable sense that Glanc might not know what’s coming next, today or tomorrow.
Family Man is a whole lot of harmless, knockabout fun. Although it might not have the polish of other shows at the festival, it’s a guaranteed good time – and you’ll be singing his titular jingle for weeks to come.
Josh Glanc: Family Man, Monkey Barrel (MB1), until 25 Aug, 3.20pm, £5-£8