It’s Friday night, and we’re listening to a moustachioed clown with his midriff out, singing songs about loving his nan.
No, it’s not that guy you met outside Wetherspoons at 1am. It’s Aussie comedian and clown, Josh Glanc (to rhyme with dance). And oh boy, will he dance.
With a millennial soundtrack that will have every 90s kid in a toe tapping trance, Glanc’s show Family Man offers a one-man clown-slash-sketch frenzy you won’t want to miss.
From lessons in instrumentless musicianship to shady surname-based occupations, Glanc serves a steady stream of funnies for our delectation.
Who can resist laughing as he waggles his left eyebrow for a whole fever dream minute? It could be an hour and still be just as fall-off-your-seat funny.
The audience interaction in this show is friendly and plentiful. It’s the weekend, the perfect time for a bit of late-night lanyard fun, and, of course, mercilessly poking the teachers who form the newly-created front row.
A warning for the timid, sitting further back does not protect you. But as it turns out, there’s nothing to fear. Those watching sit in tribes – joining the teachers, we have the nearly-weds, the shout-out sluts and the self-proclaimed silly-billies. Within moments of being invited to the stage, they’ve joined Glanc’s gang, a found family if you will. The openness and generosity of our onstage hero is that infectious, everyone’s instantly at ease.
Glanc isn’t just a fan of dance, he can also sing. We fly through audience/protagonist duets, the perils of working with disobedient birds and noughties photography for beginners. The audience say words that somehow never leave their mouths and Glanc is clearly, obviously astonished when they demand that he strip. He swaps characters at the twist of a hat, hosts a hold-up and builds a band from scratch. There’s a lot packed into this pacy performance.
Towards the end of the night, Glanc takes a moment to get real, as a family-man-in-waiting. He wants the whole package: the wife, the children, the wordless-yet-clearly-illustrated white picket fence. While he waits for a new amore to come along, where better to find human connection than through the love of a good crowd?
This production was nominated for the 2024 Edinburgh Comedy Award, and for good reason. If you’ve ever been sassed by a wall, had a demoralising sexual encounter with chocolate spread, or found family in unexpected places, this may just be the show for you.
Reviewed on 13 June 2025. Continues at Soho Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe.
The Reviews Hub Score
A One-Man Clown Frenzy
