one4review | On 03, Aug 2025

The wealth and strength of experience shine through in this show: Thanyia tells us she’d been doing stand up for ten years before she first came to the Fringe, and we’ve added another three years to that, through which I can only imagine she has continued to season like fine whisky (with a voice and prosody to match: rich, fiery, and emotive). The show’s captivating: just Thanyia, her voice, and the story (and her beguiling mix of ‘please love me but don’t tell me about it, it makes me feel weird’).

Some crowd work eases us in, softens the presentation a little and humanises a confidence that might be mistaken for arrogance (it’s not arrogance if you are that good though). And then the story begins. It’s about Thanyia’s first Fringe, which didn’t go exactly to plan. Ms Moore may have the comedians’ curse – or gift – to see material in everything, but nothing here is spurious, no element feels contrived, and nothing is treated with a levity that it doesn’t warrant. She recounts the tale with warmth and yes, humour, and above all an excellent instinct for storytelling. We’re drawn in and wound into tension to be released with cathartic blasts of laughter, detailed images created with spare gestures and movements.

This is by no means a sad hour, despite the subject matter. Ms Moore deserves a place on the podium: she’s trained hard and delivers an outstanding performance.

Reviewed by Laura
17:40 (1hr)
Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs)
Until 24th (not 11th)