After the success of their Free Fringe show last year, sisters Sarah and Lizzie Daykin - who perform together as Toby - have been picked up by comedy powerhouse The Invisible Dot. But while their act certainly embraces the company's characteristically offbeat innovation and genre subversion, they have a long way to go before they can match the brilliance of stablemates such as Tim Key and Jonny Sweet.Sarah - glamorous, precocious, and overbearing - takes to the stage to tell us the story of her exciting life so far (as well as pitch to any talent scouts in the audience.) At her side is the downtrodden Lizzie, who lives at the mercy of her sister's caprices. Sarah's dramatised autobiography plays out through songs, home movies, and increasingly abstract sketches. She periodically breaks off to assert her superiority over Lizzie through bullying, harassment and sabotage, but her delusions suddenly crumble around her as the show draws to its dark and surreal conclusion.I really wanted to like the show, because of the performers' quirky charm, their ambitiously left-field approach to the genre, and the fact that they are among a growing cohort of female comics who find no need to make gender central to their act. But it ultimately felt a little unsatisfying and ill-conceived - there were just too many recriminations and mystifying non sequiturs, and not enough belly laughs. Both sisters, especially the mercurial Sarah, have an engaging and intriguing stage presence. Their bitter sibling rivalry makes for an interesting double-act dynamic, although performers breaking off a sketch to bicker among themselves is becoming an increasingly overused trope. With their clear comic talent and refreshingly original approach, Toby have the makings of a great act, but for now they are falling short of their potential.
