★★★★
Just the Two of Us! sees comedy duo Maria Telnikoff and Vidya Divakaran attempt to emulate the best duos in history using song, dance and character comedy. It is a jam-packed hour, full of pop culture references, and Y2K nostalgia that has the audience roaring with laughter.
One of the earlier scenes where they imitate Romulus and Remus may have you questioning what you’ve gotten yourself in for, but stick with it: you’ll soon be laughing along at the duo’s antics and marvelling at the creativity behind the show. There’s duos from popular culture, including Tracy Beaker and Wham, as well as inanimate objects that go together, like salt and pepper and the red and green men. Particular highlights include a parody sketch inspired by Bend It Like Beckham, complete with over-the-top, cringe-worthy acting; a duet sung by Sharpay and Ryan Evans; and, of course, the crowd-surfing chandelier.
They handle the many costume changes well, and it’s quite impressive how they manage to take off and put on various items of clothing while dancing and jumping around. Telnikoff and Divakaran are very talented performers, and their stamina must be applauded: the end has just as much energy as the start of the show. Occasionally, they laugh at their own jokes—in the X-Factor scene inspired by the infamous pair singing Peter Andre’s ‘Mysterious Girl’, Divakaran looks like she is about to crack up—but it is just a testament to how funny the show is. Neither performers have had any formal theatre or comedy training, which just shows that a degree isn’t necessary to bring high quality, entertaining shows to the Fringe.
Just the Two of Us! is an extremely creative and well executed concept brought alive by high energy performers and great music. It’s potentially the craziest show I’ve ever seen at the Fringe, but definitely one of the most fun!
Just the Two of Us! will be performed at Pleasance Courtyard – Cellar until 24 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Ellen Leslie
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.