At Chortle's Fast Fringe

2011

More Worbey and Farrell videos

Comic piano-playing duo formerly known as Katzenjammer

Worbey and Farrell – Well Strung!
Live Review

I thought I was unfamiliar with their work but this duo made me feel like I was trapped at my nan’s on a vinyl sofa watching Opportunity Knocks in 1971.  Steve Worbey has the wet demeanour of Private Pike and Kevin Farrell looks like a young Ray Barraclough.  They can both play piano like demons, but I’d rather hear them play individually and seriously than sit through this cruise ship entertainment  that’s run aground at Edinburgh.

In a year that I’ve found determinedly middle-of-the-road in comedy terms, this really takes the Rich Tea.  It perhaps shouldn’t be listed in comedy, but cabaret or music – or ennui because their lamentable banter and cheesiness would get any bona fide comedian an absolute kicking, but the musical ability, no matter how misplaced, is undeniable.

I must point out that the audience was very respectful, clapped along, joined in on cue and shouted, meekly,  for an encore, so it’s just me that was tortured by the squandered talent.

I’m not sure how you can have a hack musical performance but this was it. Yes, professional, yes, entertaining-if-you-like-that-sort–of thing, but it was just camp old nonsense without any exuberance or genuine spark, more damp than camp.

They take a range of easy listening tunes and gentle classics and give them the four hands, one piano treatment, which makes it sound like the keyboard’s being played vigorously and  smashed with a child’s brick at the same time.  They very modestly describe themselves as pub pianists, purveyors of background music, and they are stupendous at that, but when you’ve got musical comedians like Tim Minchin, Rainer Hersch, musical comedy purveyors like Showstoppers, and determinedly cheesy Bob Downe, all setting standards for musical comedy, this really is low brow, low energy and unambitious.

I can’t give it a low star rating, because their audience loved them, they’re talented musicians who have trained, rehearsed, taken pains, dressed the stage, but it’s comedy for the twilight home as far as I’m concerned, a slow throttling with a damp cardigan.

What a horrid and personal write up. Who is this woman and why is she allowed to be reviewing? They made everyone very happy indeed the other night. I should think she could only dream of such a thing.

Dave Preston, April 2013