Frisky and Mannish – Pop Centre Plus (Oxford)

I had my first introduction to Frisky & Mannish when they visited Oxford’s North Wall earlier this year. As someone who exchanged Radio 1 for Classic FM in the early 90s, a comedy cabaret duo who specialize in deconstructing pop songs didn’t sound as if it should have been my cup of tea, but I went anyway, and loved it. When I heard they were in Oxford again this week at the Playhouse (on the back of a successful Edinburgh Fringe run), I was eager for a second helping – and they did not disappoint.

It’s a high energy show with plenty of laughs, offering affectionate parodies of everything from the golden oldies of the 1970s and 80s through to recent chart hits, and even if a particular musical reference goes over your head, the wit and artistry with which it’s handled will probably still bring a smile to your face. The evening is structured around the eponymous pair’s tongue-in-cheek guide to finding your career path in the pop industry (were you aware of the tragic fact that only 91% of UK school leavers debut at number one?) – you’ll have a chance to find out if you’re a Razorlight, a Britney, or a Bieber, and if you’re lucky, you might even get to witness the genesis of a brand new boy band before your very eyes…

Frisky & Mannish have a extraordinary talent for making you see – or more precisely, hear – familiar things in a very different light (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to think of Eternal Flame in the same way again), and keeping you laughing while they do it. So if you’re interested in learning more about the eleven academically-recognized phases of Madonna, or hearing what the Friends theme tune might have sounded like if it had been sung by Edith Piaf – or if you just want a fabulously fun and entertaining night out, this is a show that will deliver.

Meriel Patrick