Twins Jack and Annie McGrath have put on a sketch show at the Edinburgh Fringe in a desperate bid to find their third, long lost brother. All they have to do is beat their rivals – The Original Edinburgh Comedy Twins. Prepare for dodgy sombreros, bushy moustaches, rubbish superheroes and some terrible accents!
Prepare for dodgy sombreros, bushy moustaches, rubbish superheroes and some terrible accents!
Twins is an original, BBC Three-style sketch comedy. The show provides a good amount of self-deprecating humour, some quirky touches and a fair amount of audience interaction that thankfully never becomes too invasive (although it revels in threatening to at times). Most of the gags that run throughout the show work nicely, but at times they fall flat. The McGraths need to up their energy and hone their comic timing. They could also do with making their performance a bit edgier, perhaps by developing the unusual and uncomfortable comedy which they hint at but fail to follow through fully. There were also a couple of times when they bypassed obvious opportunities for good gags. However, the performance that I saw was the pair’s first, and things will likely improve as they settle into their routine and become that bit more confident.
Twins never becomes painful or awkward. This is not a cringe-worthy viewing – although there was an odd silent gag in the middle of the show which came dangerously close. But the pair charm their way out of such moments in the show with their fast-paced acting and likable personalities. By evoking enough smiles and laughs from their various sketches, Twins guarantees lighthearted, easy fun. You could do far worse with you time at the Fringe than spending an hour with Jack and Annie McGrath.
