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Edinburgh Fringe 2015

That Pair; Letting it Go

That Pair

Genre: Comedy

Venue: Just the Tonic @ The Caves

Festival:


Low Down

Tim had no idea he was having a party, nor that he was even a Princess. When he arrived Princess Lorna and handy helper Kat identified his majestic potential and we had a party. Party organisers That Pair, then led us in some merry dances, made us laugh at their antics and included us in their mirth. It was an hour that ended with glitter and began with sparkle which rarely faltered throughout.

Review

There was plenty in this to like and admire. The duo of Lorna Shaw and Katherine Bond have honed their skills to such a level that the repartee is wicked, slick and sick. It would be wrong to suggest they were an adult Mel and Sue but this duo shares that similar fixture of the new style of comedy duo; there is no straight person. Both are equally funny and equally deprecating about the other. They clearly have spent plenty of time slagging people off so that they wring the best comedic timing and surprise out of it.

Costumes and set are minimal as the cheap nature of it is what makes it even more funny. The idea of Princess Lorna doing this full time with attendant mice and glittery Godmother encapsulates the ridiculous nature of the whole thing.

There were some elements that worked better than others and the Pea from the Princess and the Pea aint as good as it probably looked written down. The script though is generally one with excellent situations falling in line, one after the other. Shaw and Bond are able to deliver their comedy with ease which it makes any gaps short ones before another laugh arrives on comedy cues.

It does depend upon an enthusiastic crowd and this one was fairly up for it. If you get a flat bunch you could see some of this falling … well … flat. I do have to qualify that criticism because from the opening salvo we get a routine designed not just to explain things but also to warm us up. Once warm, and this is not dependent upon audience participation – just laughter – we never get the chance to cool down. It is a clever ruse as it gets us onside because we know what might happen as well as making us open to all forms of comedy banter.

This was an hour spent in the company of very entertaining, witty and excellent comics who know how to deliver a fantastic show. I would thoroughly recommend catching not any old pair but That Pair before they are off again from the Fringe.

Published

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That Pair