It is impossible not to warm to The Aspidistras. Combating the perils of a lunchtime slot with coffee and croissants sets the show on a promising footing, and the caffeinated goodwill of an unjaded audience is easily tapped. Their opening song on the semantics of aspidistras injects infectious energy into proceedings, and the chemistry between Gerardine Coyne and Maria Hodson is the foundation for an engaging beginning. Their material, however, is almost inexplicably hit-and-miss. Hodsons pitch-perfect Kim Cattrall, in a terrific Sex And The City parody, is followed by a woeful Australian childrens programme, and in some of the sketches the undoubted charm of the performers is not quite enough to disguise the poverty of the writing. It is much to Hodson and Coynes credit, though, that this very nearly doesnt matter: this is a show with enormous warmth, and highlights such as the masked theatre, brilliantly pricking artistic pretensions, are sufficiently satisfying to forgive the occasional lapse. The lament of the werewolf bride, too, is a musical highlight that showcases the Aspidistras at their best. There are moments of brilliance in this show, and the instant rapport between audience and performers allows them to shine. With a tighter script, bigger and better punchlines, and some deadheading of the weaker sketches, these Aspidistras could really fly.
