It is surprising to see Hanks and Conran screw up the duo dynamic entirely. Susan Hanks and Lou Conran provide the most lacklustre and low-energy comedy set I’ve ever seen. They have their set ‘characters’, Hanks is the no-nonsense pessimistic one whilst Conran is the bubbly off-the-wall one. However, the bickering and bantering that arises from this unlikely duo is completely unentertaining: Hanks shoots down Conran’s mad ideas and Conran constantly bounces back amidst snide petty comments about each other’s weight. The whole set follows this formulaic and unoriginal construct. The jokes are poor, comically worthless, simple and constantly repeated throughout the show.
There is no element of finesse or complexity to the humour. These two are more like bickering past-their-peak women you might find in a dark corner of a Wetherspoons on a Saturday evening rather than supposedly worthwhile comedians. Jokes peter out and are rarely allowed to flourish, comic timing is all over the place and their relationship with the audience is a sketchy one at best. There are a few giggles to be found but no more than mere titters amongst a sea of awkward silences and dying gags. The worst thing is, it is possible to see what the pair are trying to get at. Watching them struggle through an entire set that more able comedians would have been able to make only vaguely amusing is a painful experience. The whole show descends into further banality when unsuspecting audience members are yanked onstage to take part in the shared death of the routine, leaving audiences perplexed, unsatisfied and itching to leave.
