Review: Hooked: Mr Sister

Mr Sister, AKA double act Holly Kellingraye and Brooke Jones, bound on stage in sparkly gold blazers, telling us that they are not, in fact, sisters, but very good friends. And that one of them is expecting. 

They're offering the lunchtime crowd a fun series of sketches based loosely (very loosely indeed) around Bournemouth University’s code of conduct guidelines. What follows includes routines about inexpert wine tasting, period movie gangsters, daytime TV presenters at night, and a blind date that takes place in one of those restaurants that’s completely dark. 

The duo’s strengths lie in their slick, committed performances and the kind of simpatico and rapport that can’t be faked. There are a few cracking lines, some easy audience interaction and a handful of gloriously off-kilter ideas, one involving a surreal prenatal scan. They’ve clearly worked hard on this, and there are some nicely daft prop choices. 

Despite all this, however, much of the material isn’t strong enough. Most of the sketches are too long and a couple of them should perhaps have been replaced altogether. Mr Sister need to keep at it though: they’re both such great performers and they’ll be a winning force when the writing catches up.