Daniel Muggleton: How The Whitey Have Fallen @ The Piglet at Gluttony, Adelaide 17/3/2023

Returning to this year’s Fringe Festival, clever and controversial matching tracksuit (now personally branded) donning master of sarcasm Daniel Muggleton has been making a name for himself for a few years now and I was keen to finally see him live. As he boldly proclaims, “this show is supposed to make you uncomfortable” and that it does, like an awkward game of Cards Against Humanity with your right-wing Uncle, there are a lot of jokes in his routine that make you laugh but also think “what the f**k”

Comedians love a good late entry by audience members- it gives them a convenient excuse for heckling and forced audience participation- the people that arrive late have no choice but to endure being singled out and cheekily vilified as they sheepishly saunter in and scramble for a seat while attempting to be subtle. Luckily for Daniel Muggleton, who has a talent for cleverly roasting his victims, there was a never-ending stream of late comers throughout the show which ultimately led to improvised comedy gold. We even got a loud heckler from outside the venue and how he handled it is nothing short of genius. There is no doubt that this man is a natural.

Race, politics, the gig economy, masturbation; he’s making blunt and inappropriate jokes about it all. Unlike at the family dinner when these topics come up however, the only ‘talking stick’ is firmly in his hands, so we are subjected to that internal conflict between laughing and squirming- often questioning our own values and reflecting on how rubbish humanity is. Smart, topical and ludicrous, Daniel Muggleton always delivers on the cringe and will have you laughing and then hating yourself for it.

Fringe Review By Bec Scheucher