Edinburgh Fringe 2011
Low Down
‘No need to panic’, assures Ford several times in the first sketch. And, really, there isn’t: this is confident and funny sketch comedy from a pair of talented young women. All the sketches (claim to) have an autobiographical slant to them (although it’s at least likely that one of the pair hasn’t recently returned from a date with Colin Farrell), and this works well as a linking device for the show, although it does mean that as yet, there are no particularly memorable or stand-out sketches in the evening.
Review
The girls play very well to any preconceived first impressions the audience might have of them, and most of the characters are extensions of that: Akram the voluptuous and sexy Catholic girl, Ford working the geeky-chic allure. And because the pair are attractive, it should therefore be tedious that they occasionally use their looks for humour and storylines. But actually, it’s well placed, not least when Akram declares in a thick Irish brogue that she has no need of a personality when she looks like her, and when Ford, apparently the more bookish of the pair, seems to have a more successful romantic life than her comedy partner.
What’s particularly effective in this hour is watching two young performers working exactly in tandem with one another, each making the other look as good as they possibly can. Their humour is infectious and enagaging, with a genuine sparkle.
Currently, it would be fair to say that both performers are better than their own material. That’s not quite as damning as it might sound – we’re confident that the duo’s best work is ahead of them, and that Ford and Akram’s razor sharp wit will serve them well. Consider this, then, not quite as the warm up show – it’s a lot better than that – but as a highly confident offering from a comedic duo who, all being fair, are on the road to very good things.