French and Saunders: Still Alive
Palace Theatre, Manchester; touring
So, farewell then, French and Saunders. The most famous female double act in British comedy is hanging up its prosthetics and parting company at the end of this tour. After 30 years of silliness and sketches, they've decided to head in different directions creatively and celebrate with what is, in effect, a greatest hits compilation tour.
Not that they've been joined at the hip all this time; one of the leitmotifs of the show is their rivalry over the colossal success of their solo ventures. Jennifer Saunders boasts that her role as Edina in Absolutely Fabulous has seen her hailed a 'comedy goddess' on gay websites. 'Oh, no one's doubting you're a cult,' Dawn French replies sweetly, waiting a beat while the joke filters through to the audience. Later, she casually throws out the viewing figures for the 2006 Vicar of Dibley Christmas Special - '18 million'. Saunders snorts in derision and then apologises. 'Sorry - I'm not laughing at The Vicar of Dibley. I never have and I'm not about to start now.'
Because they began their careers in the alternative comedy boom of the 1980s, their work is usually thought of in that context, but watching selected highlights from the best part of two decades (their first TV series aired in 1987), you realise that much of their material comes from traditional comedy. They rely heavily on impersonations, innuendo, funny faces, funny voices and physical comedy, often based on the fact that Dawn is short and fat and looks inherently funny when dancing. They can make even more of this now that they are both 50 - Saunders does a wonderful Madonna impression, funny because she has a wobbly bottom that looks nothing like Madonna's in a leotard, while French is persuaded to reprise her famous dance from A Chorus Line
The Manchester audience was thrilled to find some of the best-known sketches from the TV show dusted off and standing up surprisingly well to the test of time. 'Sex Talk' features French as a knowing teenager dispensing terrifying misinformation to her friend and the conversation between two rich girls left at boarding school over Christmas was just as poignant as the first time around. A rare treat was the original sketch that gave birth to Ab Fab, in which French played Saffy. 'Why didn't I play her in the show?' she asks plaintively, as an afterthought; Saunders hoots at the absurdity of the idea. The simmering rivalry comes to a head as Saunders is winched up to the gods in a long white gown to do battle with a 15ft effigy of French as the Vicar of Dibley.
Both are such consummate performers and are clearly enjoying the live atmosphere so much that they carry the audience along on a current of mutual affection.
The finale, an almost-serious duet of 'Thank You for the Music', followed by a montage of clips years, moved a number of people to a standing ovation. It's a shame that their encore consisted of the Two Fat Men, complete with fake penises hanging out, finally deciding they are 'begging for it' from each other.
It was always the least funny side of their comedy, but perhaps this twist, more than anything else, truly signifies the end of an era.
