Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Do identical twins have a psychic connection? That’s probably too big a question to be answered in a comedy review, to be fair, but Patrick and Hugo McPherson certainly display a tight dynamic in this, their third Edinbugrh Fringe show.

They have a bit of fun with being a very literal double act, but the fact they are both 6ft 7in is a trait they make more of, especially in a venue with such a low clearance. See them before they crack their skulls open!

Weird physicality is part of their shtick, with odd interactions such as uncompleted high fives and peculiar mimes all carefully, if strangely, choreographed. Musical interludes also get them to flaunt their movement skills.

The show is partially propelled by the notion that Pear are trying to do satire after their producers told them that the genre is in demand – without having the vaguest clue what satire actually is.

Is it a corny American play about ‘freedom’? A self-defence session which turns out to have some very familiar moves? An over-long skit about going on a safari? A police interrogation with a couple of audience ‘volunteers’? A parody of stage hypnotists? None of the above?

They are not all gold, but most are. Some are mainstream – the quickies in set in group therapy sessions could be Two Ronnies sketches, which I mean as a compliment – and some more absurd. And that they are brothers makes things weird when one skit gets a little sexy.

The script is tight with callbacks and scenes reimagined with a twist, plus plenty of meta-commentary on their comedy. They even have beef with another sketch duo in the same venue. 

It means Pear are a sketch act that are probably for the brain more than the heart. Even when they are being silly, it seems considered, rather than exhilaratingly freewheeling. But the show folding in on itself is rewarding, and the twins are skilful performers with a ready supply of off-the-wall gags.

Review date: 18 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Underbelly Cowgate