Review by Steve Bennett

I admired this show more than I enjoyed it, but it gets five stars because I can't find fault with any part of it. Make no mistake, this is a world-class piece of comedy theatre, as good as it gets. It parades immense talent, great comic timing and pacing of a rare order. It is meticulously choreographed with a fine attention to comic detail.

I thought it was just going to be two classical musicians being funny on a grand piano (Romanian Paul Staicu) and on a cello (Frenchman Laurent Cirade).

In fact, though, its roots lie in the golden days of speciality variety bills when magic, ventriloquist and juggling acts toured the world's top nightclubs. It also reminds me of the Soviet Union's meticulously trained circus clowns.

At one point, we sat amazed as Cirade played the neck of the cello with one hand and the piano's keyboard with his other while simultaneously blowing a didgeridoo - and then pianist Staicu started using a bow on the body of the cello.

Music ranged from classical compositions to cool jazz to La Bamba and the Star Trek theme.

And the show is filled with exquisite, inventive visual gags like Oh Suzannah played on the cello-held-as-guitar in a camp-fire scene played round a flickering footlight. And then Cirade started eating the cello!

The biggest laugh for me was a visual and musical gag involving the theme from Once Upon a Time in The West. But others might prefer the blindfolded-and-handcuffed piano-playing or the extract from The Internationale played on the cello with a real working chainsaw standing in for the bow.

Duel really does have something for everyone, including very fine performances of classical favourites and a comic deckchair-erecting routine straight from Twenties Music Hall. Amazing.

Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett