Ginger & Black, Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh
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Your support makes all the difference.The great problem with this show is there's no connection between the two performers, Eri Jackson (Ginger, on account of her hair colour) and Daniel Taylor (Black, on account of his skin colour), or between them and the audience.
The vibe I get from the duo is faintly arrogant and slightly indifferent as they move crisply and confidently through musical skits that conjure up influences as wide as Eminem, De La Soul, The Doug Anthony All Stars and Flight of the Conchords. The chorus-led "Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations" gives a flavour of the duo's lyrical dexterity. The line "I wanted a hamster!/...I got one", juxtaposes petulance and satisfaction and is typical of Jackson's ability for turning expectations on their head.
Already lacking in a certain charm, the show dips further after the duo play out a narrative as a pair of mercenary children's entertainers who split, with Ginger discovering a lost love after winding up singing in a French restaurant. Some of their material, such as "The Tank Museum", is plain misguided because the comedy ends at the title.
The "too cool for school" vibe echoes the dynamic of Flight of the Conchords but Ginger & Black can't carry it off, partly because they seem like two solo performers who happen to be in the same room, with no back story that unites them.
To 25 August (0131-556 6550)
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