“Daft… loveable… with hints of a female Vic and Bob,” we said of sketch duo Lazy Susan’s debut hour last year, and they went on to get a Best Newcomer nomination at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. The pair – Celeste Dring and Freya Parker – are back again with new show Double Act, of which we’re expecting good things, so Robert James Peacock cornered them with some questions…
It’s your second Edinburgh hour. How’ve you found coming up with new ideas? Easier second time round or harder because you’ve used up so many good ones?
Harder in that we haven’t had the luxury of time that you get with a first show, and also in that there’s pressure to bring a stronger offering on your second attempt. Easier in that we’re more confident and have had more opportunities to practice (largely thanks to Pappy’s letting us perform at their new material nights. Thanks boys!)
How do you work? Does one of your bring an idea to the other or is it collaborative start to finish?
We do both, to be honest. Sometimes we’ll write a little character monologue or scene and bring it in then the other will edit it / make it their own. We also improvise a lot, record it on our phones and then build material from there.
So who are the “Double Act” of whom you speak in the title? It’s not literally you two, is it?
We’re not straightforwardly playing ourselves, no. But it’s not a million miles from that. You’ll have to wait and see…
And what’s the deal with the promo photo? It’s kind of a sinister too-much-cheese-before-bedtime, mummy-why-is-that-funny-rabbit-staring-at-me thing. Does it capture the vibe we’ve got in store?
What a detailed interpretation! There’s a nod to vaudevillian double acts in there we hope, and yes it’s not as cute as it could be. We’re always striving for that “it’s a bit surreal but don’t worry it’s not twee” vibe. Perhaps that’s what’s going on.
How does it feel coming back no longer as “newcomers”? Different expectations?
Yes. It was exciting being in the “newcomer” mix and nice because people say, “considering that’s you’re first show, that’s good”. It will now be harder to get the “good” thing without the first show caviat. That said we’re also enjoying ourselves a bit more now, so the expectations thing is less relevant.
Is there anything you’ll be doing differently this Edinburgh?
Try and remember to do vocal warm ups… They’re so boring but we’re doing two shows this year [they’re also in Marriage at Assembly George Square Studios] so we need to remember.
Finally, the obvious one: who is your favourite double act, old or new, dead or alive?
That’s a great question. We wish we had a better answer. All we’ll say is that we’ve watched Torvill and Dean’s Bolero a lot of times during this process.
Lazy Susan: Double Act is @ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, from Wed 5 Aug 2015 @ 20:10