Review by Steve Bennett

You can't fault the exuberance of these lively Northern lasses.

Bounding on stage with their bunny hats - though looking more dog-eared than rabbit-eared by week three - they launch into an energetically shambolic song and dance affair.

It's tacky end-of-the-pier stuff, and let's face it, the show's title hardly suggests a level of erudite sophistication, but there's certainly fun to be had revelling in the tackiness of it all.

The duo create a maelstrom of manic activity, dashing around the stage, brandishing stupid props and launching into unaccompanied song-and-dance numbers, which are sadly let down by their simplistic content.

It turns out, though, that this is only a set-up for the rest of the show, which revolves around the surreal off-stage lives of the desperate double act.

Yet they never shed their OTT costumes, and continue to combine brash cabaret style with melancholy themes. It's all a bit disconcerting - but does manage to be funny from time-to-time, despite being all over the place.

In the occasional lulls in their bluster, there's evidence that there's something more to this than the amateurish enthusiasm that sees them through. And at least they are trying something unusual, even if the end product doesn't match the ambition.

The lack of polish is part of their charm, but some structure and a consistent feel might make audiences feel more secure in accepting the more whimsical ideas professed.

I'd like to hope this pair harness their talents and go on to better things - and when they do, this will probably be the sort of fringe debut they will look back on with a degree of 'I can't believe we did that' embarrassment.

Wonderhorse may not be champion yet, but they may be worth a long-odds punt for the future.

Review date: 1 Jan 2002
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett