St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Tuesday 14 Aug

Words: Kate Mathias

★★★★★

Having not seen Frisky and Mannish’s first show, School of Pop, I was a bit wary of what to expect. Half expecting a mediocre, camp cabaret show; with failing performers resorting to tired comedic parody, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The bold Felicity Fitz-Frisky and Hansel Amadeus Mannish provided belly-aching laughter from start to finish with their hilariously funny and witty performance. Not only was the pair hysterical, but they were also incredibly talented musicians – both Frisky and Mannish hit every note perfectly.

Wondering where Florence Welch gets her musical influences from? They covered that. Think Victoria Beckham and Evanescence. What about the similarities between Lilly Allen and Noel Coward? You’ll have to watch to find out. The dexterous duo also pointed out the grammatical errors in today’s pop songs – JLS should be ashamed.

Frisky’s uncanny ability to mimic and impersonate other artists continued to astound me throughout the show. She went from a stoned mid-nineties songwriter to a little girl singing Meatloaf’s ‘I Will Do Anything for Love’. Songs people think of as beautiful love songs were performed from the point-of-view of a stalker – the chilling version of Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ was one of them.

At one point a woman stood up, trying to say something to Frisky, and rather than be put off by the interruption, she managed to make it look as if it had been planned all along, sending the audience into fits of laughter.

If you go and see one comedy show this October, make it is this one. You won’t be disappointed. And at £10 you just can’t go wrong.