Ronna and Beverly

Back in their native Los Angeles, Jewish American yentas Ronna Glickman and Beverly Ginsburg are cult stars. Caked in makeup and gloriously adorned in gold jewellery, they’ve been harassing unassuming stars at Hollywood’s UCB Theatre for years.

Here in the UK, though, where the bolshy Jewish mother stereotype is less familiar, the pair might have their work cut out. Indeed, tonight’s audience look thoroughly bemused as the duo chaotically set out their shtick as chat-show hosts cum self-help gurus. The pair's backstory is pretty straightforward: they're long suffering friends of 40 years, with Ronna playing the patronising stooge to Beverly’s babbling, scatological joker.   

Although initial forays into their book for the ‘newly divorced’ are amusing, the pair are clearly at their best when fussing over hapless celebrity guests. First up tonight is Glaswegian comic Hardeep Singh Kohli, who looks ruffled by the persistent mockery of his hosts. The more he tries to dismiss their inane questions, the more Ronna and Beverly come into their own, gently taunting him into submission. Luckily, dapper standup Tom Allen fares much better, affably yielding to the pair’s jibes about his ailing career.

The semi-improvised style of the show gives the duo a slightly chaotic feel, and they wander to an anti-climactic finale. Yet what the show lacks in substance, it makes up for in comic energy. Ronna and Beverly may be quintessentially American creations, but their keen wit transcends cultural borders.