NICE MUM

It’s no secret that the CL preferred form of comedy is the double act or sketch variety. Many double acts have come and gone, and there are many forms they can take, but the longest lasting acts are those that also remain good friends outside the performance. Sure, a serious hatred for each other – cf. Newman and Baddiel, the early 1990s – can provide the spark that results in some really vitriolic and passionate performances, and the drive to outperform each other can mean some seriously strong writing, but to really last the distance, a strong friendship is always essential. The joy of watching an act like Nice Mum perform comes from the electric chemistry between them. As they let loose on stage and occasionally veer from the path the original script might have set out, it’s always a pleasure to see them spar off each other, one being able to follow the other’s thoughts and intentions. It’s in the little moments that Nice Mum particularly shine, and ridiculously stupid moments like The Cherry People, a kind of diversion that would probably fail in other people’s hands, can take off and leave you in the kind of giggling mess you haven’t experienced since the age of seven. It's all bound to end in tears... which is a gay club in Exeter.