That Pair: Never Liked Her Anyway

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Kathryn Bond and Lorna Shaw return to Edinburgh this year with a morbid premise. We are ushered into the funeral of their friend and agent Leanne, as Bond and Shaw stroll down the centre aisle thanking us for attending. The rest is a freewheeling series of two-handed sketches, songs and speeches, from wisecracking tax officers to shamelessly self-promoting yoga teachers.

Bond and Shaw have got the funny/straight balance down to a T – Shaw sets up the gag as Bond races in with bizarre and disruptive punch-lines. Most of the sketches land, but are definitely eclipsed by some standout skits. An appearance of the ‘Shoowappers’ and a teasing potential slot from hip-hop duo ‘Risky Jizzness’ are streets ahead in terms of performance. Donning blonde curly wigs, the duo spice up the funeral with songs of their boyfriends, hilariously venting on the side about taking the bins out and secretly hating them.

But these more successful outings cause the show to be a little stop-start. The daft funeral setup is a tight route into their material but soon becomes annoying and cumbersome, preventing them from going too far afield. When they do, it’s reigned in and returned to the death of their dearest Leanne – at times clunky and unnecessary. Certainly, this is accomplished, spry humour for the most part, but it doesn’t get anywhere near classic double-act territory. They’re at their best with songs and acoustic accompaniment, with as much musical skill and ingenuity as they have chemistry.