Shirley & Shirley

Joanna Carolan and Pascale Wilson are brave women. The pair seem to specialise in the excruciating, self-sacrificing end of comedy and aren’t afraid to dribble, dry hump or get a little tactile to provoke a laugh from an audience. As accomplished physical comedians they are able to tackle a variety of sketches and don’t rely on stock comic targets, apart from the elderly who populate ‘The Winnie Mandela Community Centre’.

‘Shirley and Shirley’ complement one another perfectly; Wilson is tall and rangy while Carolan is blonde and petite. Together they are able to create engaging and often inventive sets of characters such as incestuous theatre brats Oliver and his sister Clemmy, and Britain’s Got Talent competitors ‘Hands On’. Some sketches fall slightly flat, particularly a foul-mouthed WI member and her cat-obsessed companion.

Aerobics-based skits seem to be a favourite and appeal to the male contingent of the audience –one frisky punter gives Carolan more than she bargained for - but she takes it in her stride. They also show quick wit when it comes to audience participation, managing not to cross the sometimes fine line between a good ribbing and causing offence.

The humour is fairly lewd and at odds with the ‘Universal’ billing (let’s just hope the kids in the audience think they’re playing with a rather veiny plastic sausage) but big kids who like to indulge in considered puerility with a smattering of profanity won’t want for laughs.