Daniel Moore’s Definitive Guide To Failure Free Living at Just The Tonic Review
Reviewed by Michael Neri for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Reviewed with care, written with neuro spice. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical liberties — art is messy and so is my brain.
In the dim brick belly of The Subway, where the smell of anticipation mingles with faint beer ghosts from last night, Daniel Moore, played by Matthew Edgar, strides onto the stage with the confidence of a man who thinks he’s here to save your life — but is really here to poke at its soft underbelly.
One man. One button. That’s all it takes for Edgar’s satire to cut into the sinew of toxic masculinity, childhood hangovers, and the desperate pursuit of success. This is a show that wrestles with what it means to “be a man,” only to body-slam that very notion into the venue’s sticky floor.
From the pre-show warm-up to the final bow set to S Club 7’s “Reach for the Stars” (Which will make perfect sense once you've seen the show), every beat feels precision-engineered. Edgar’s performance is an exercise in total commitment — his timing is tight, his characterisation layered with the kind of subtlety that makes you laugh, then wince, then think.
Edgar’s stage presence is magnetic; he commands the room. His performance is muscular, every pause, smirk, and raised eyebrow loaded with intent. His physicality is playful yet deliberate, whether he’s looming like a gym instructor from hell or crumpling into the small, fragile gestures of a boy still haunted by his father’s voice. It’s acting that doesn’t shout for attention, but demands it all the same.
The set. Minimal but cunning — like a Fringe survival kit, making the most of The Subway’s intimate but technically humble space. Rather than fight the constraints, Edgar leans into them, the simplicity sharpening our focus on the man and his mission.
Harry Daisley’s direction threads the piece together with the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly when to let a moment breathe and when to twist the knife. Each shift in pace is deliberate, giving the show its shape without ever breaking the flow.
By the time the last note fades, you’ll feel like you’ve been taken on a perfectly choreographed rollercoaster — no loose bolts, no wasted turns.
Daniel Moore’s Definitive Guide To Failure Free Living is a finely tuned satire, performed with precision.
Part of Edinburgh Fringe, Playing at Just The Tonic, The Subway, 4:30pm daily until 11th August
★ ★ ★ ★
