Stand-up comedy can be awkward when the audience is small. In this case, the audience was two people but comedians John Wagstaffe and Richard Wood handled it very well. Wagstaffe, on stage first, immediately engaged both of us in chatty, friendly way. Wagstaffe and Wood are at their funniest when employing fast-paced observational comedy on such relevant topics as technology and relationships. Occasionally shouty and occasionally hesitant, they achieved the most important thing: to make us laugh.
The pair also dabble in other types of comedy. They use live sketches, filmed sketches, and a funny song á la Bill Bailey. They seem to be testing the waters to see what they’re good at, and this weakens the show. What they are good at is stand-up observational comedy; although they are skilled actors, the jokes in their sketches just aren’t as impressive. Similarly, Wood’s stand-up routine faded from strong, relatable stories to hesitant one-liners and would have benefited from more consistency.
The duo should focus on what they excel at and leave the rest. At their best they are loveable and relatable, executing tired themes fairly well and creating audience attachment with ease. At their worst they are offstage, with a random and irrelevant filmed sketch projected too small onto a screen and an audience left alone in the auditorium with nothing to laugh at.