Toby is a two-hander sketch show starring sisters Sarah and Lizzie. The basic set-up is that Sarah is the artistic, vane, glorious fool one and Lizzie is the long-suffering one who isn’t sure she wants to be there. Together they perform sketches; the balance of power switching back and forth between the pair as the show progresses. We find out that Sarah has a lot of issues to deal with, her starvation of love from their mother, and her lack of emotional control chief amongst them. Lizzie just has to put up with all this as best she can.
The sketches on display are almost all very funny, and it’s obvious that both sisters are very talented comedic actors, and they’re pretty good at singing too. There is plenty of audience interaction, and the pair have great stage chemistry. The highlight of the show is a sketch about a jazz bear, a character that is both hilarious and adorable, and allows Lizzie to showcase her excellent singing voice. Too many sketches end with either sister refusing to take part anymore, but this is the only real criticism I feel I can level at the show. This is very entertaining stuff, and the best free sketch show I’ve seen at the Fringe.
