If you plan on seeing 2016 Funny Women Awards finalist Micky Overman and Helen Bauer’s show make sure you have been to the loo and sorted out your drinks before you take your seat, because this pair do not let up. Keeping in mind what I saw was the pair’s work in progress for what will be their Edinburgh show Sweet Things, I can guarantee you’re in for a treat.
One of the best things about this two-hander show is that neither act lets the side down. Let me explain, there is an uncomfortable truth (although, I stress, it is by no means the rule) about two-hander shows and it is this… sometimes one act is kind of riding on the other act’s coattails. Like I said it’s not the rule just my very occasional experience. Which two-hander shows am I alluding to? I couldn’t possibly say… but when it comes to Helen and Micky this is definitely not the case.
Both Helen and Micky have the ability to command a room with the air of a comedian far beyond their years. Helen is an over-sharer who will generously give you tips on how to maintain your composure on a night out, from the third bottle of wine to walking safely from the kebab shop, to the, uh, kebab shop. I don’t think I stopped laughing for the entire half hour Helen was on stage. An incredibly likeable comic who takes anecdotal comedy to another level.
There was no dip in the energy when Micky took the mic, which is a testament to her talent because, as she noted, the room was “so fucking hot.” I first saw Micky at Comedy Virgins a year or so ago, before she made it to the Funny Women Awards finals of September last year and in that time her progress is impressive. While Micky might refer to her sister unflatteringly and discuss vampires make no mistake, she’s a very sophisticated comedian with original ideas and a smart delivery.
But probably my favourite thing about this show was coming away with a group of male stand-up comics who all looked very nervous with the collective review that they have some work to do. And you know what? They do, because Helen Bauer and Micky Overman are not sweet things, they’re a comedy threat and I cannot wait for you to discover them.
