Written by Norris and Parker
Directed by Lucia Cox
The King’s Arms, Salford
Rating: 5 stars
Review by Brian Gorman
“Why aren’t you famous, yet?” I asked
them in the bar after the show. Katie Norris and Sinead Parker are a truly
formidable double act, with shades of French & Saunders, Reeves &
Mortimer, and (dare I suggest?) the mighty Cannon & Ball. On a bare stage
containing just a couple of chairs, our two lycra-clad heroines performed a
series of surreal, dark, deliciously twisted comedy sketches featuring a
gallery of perfectly-realised, often grotesque
characters. Opening with the glorious ‘Twat’ song, the stage was set for
a marvellous evening of superbly delirious character comedy, delivered by the
best double act who aren’t yet famous. Expertly-aimed pot shots eviscerated the
evil Tories, overly saccharine West End musicals (the song ‘Meat’ is delivered
with lung-busting, tonsil-straining ferocity by Parker – the ‘blonde one’), and
hipper-than-thou Mancunian punk poets (yes, there’s more than one). Norris (the
‘brunette one’) plays the slightly tougher, more commanding of the pair, with
Parker the more submissive (revealing her Sapphic passion for her on-stage
partner at hilariously inappropriate moments). As two rather attractive female
performers, clad primarily in figure-hugging leotards, the more side-splitting
moments came when the pair went all out to be as unattractive as possible; one
prime example being the sight of David Cameron having his nether regions
scratched by a fawning Nick Clegg. There was much mickey-taking at the whole
‘female comic’ aspect of the show, with both women often undermining their
onstage personas, and making cringe-worthy attempts at chatting up various men
in the audience (including one chap on the front row being more than happy to
play ball).
Running for just an hour, All Our
Friends Are Dead certainly left one wishing for more. There wasn’t a weak
moment to be had, with each sketch packed with innumerable fantastic one-liners,
and beautifully observed characters. These are two very talented performers,
and I cannot recommend them highly enough. See them now, live on stage, before
they’re snapped up for the telly, playing arenas, and retiring far too early.
Reviewed 16.07.15
Tags: Sinead Parker, Katie Norris, Lucia
Cox, King’s Arms, Salford, All Our Friends Are Dead
Originally published (with bizarre edits) at www.thepublicreviews.com
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