"Somehow Moran retains an ever-present sense of joy that prevents his act from sliding into the decadence of misanthropy."
Dylan Moran is well and truly in his 40s now and his existential despair is ever present as he comes closer to confronting the inevitable truths of his mortality. He warms the audience with a unique take on the tightly held rivalries between Australian cities and his barbs at the international embarrassment that is Tony Abbott are well received. Moran largely covers the familiar territory of a middle-aged stand-up: the aging process, children, the differences between men and women, the contemporary obsession with technology. However, he picks apart these subjects with his trademark turn of phrase that has the audience in hysterics.
In a constant state of playful befuddlement he unleashes his absurd poetry on the quotidian details of middle-class existence. While the pointlessness of it all, the imminence of death and life's inherent loneliness are all features of his act, somehow Moran retains an ever-present sense of joy that prevents his act from sliding into the decadence of misanthropy. His week-long run in the State Theatre has almost sold out and he commands this large space with ease. It is too rare a treat to witness Moran perform and he didn't disappoint.