Stiff and Kitsch share with the audience that reviewers have in the past described them as ‘comfortable’, ‘strange’ and ‘the English actress and the Cork woman’ which unsurprisingly goes down better with one half of the comedy duo than the other. This leads into their opening song where they muse over why they are not yet ‘stars’.
And on the evidence of latest show, Bricking It, one would be hard pushed not to agree. They are a comic powerhouse, playing expertly off one another, moving the show along seamlessly and the tone is so relaxed and conversational that it almost seems unscripted.
As the title of the show suggests this is a story of what makes the pair (Sally O’Leary and Rhiannon Neads) anxious, leading up to one particular night – Sally’s 30th. But it is by no means a depressing trawl through their worries. Alongside the playful banter and sharp wit are catchy tunes with clever lyrics which cut to the very heart of their fears as well as being uproariously funny. Their voices are strong and complement each other beautifully.
The shame of the show is that they are playing in such a small venue although the pair do allude to the fact that they were surprised to be invited back at all given their antics at last year’s wrap party! But this is a show that deserves to be seen by many more people than just those that can squeeze into a Bunker at two o’clock in the afternoon.
O’Leary and Neads have a perfect chemistry and together with a great deal of talent have concocted a real formula for success. The hour goes by in the blink of an eye; one could easily sit and listen to them for double that length of time. The audience are left grinning from ear-to-ear because although tales of anxiety might not seem like a happy-go-lucky kind of show it is so effectively produced that you can’t help but leave feeling a little bit better about life.