Sitting down to watch Luisa Callander’s Doppelgängers, I was unsure of what to expect and slightly apprehensive that it might be difficult to keep laughs going for a 60-minute one-woman show. However, when Callander entered the minimalist stage, I felt immediately at ease. 

The show’s introduction quickly established Callander as a very likeable and endearing comedian, setting the scene well without being too drawn out. It was only once the main body of the show, the performance of her ‘doppelgängers’, began, however, that the full extent of Callander’s humour got under way.

Her talent for character comedy is clear, with six very different characters – five with accents not her own – all executed convincingly and played with a fairly consistent strength. An American ghost-hunting doppelgänger was perhaps the weakest of the six, but was still entertaining and won plenty of laughs. An unfortunate air hostess and an 85-year-old child star were much stronger performances, with the child star a particularly original character, inducing guffaws of hysterical laughter in the audience. 

Audience interaction was another of Callander’s strong suits: it is an aspect of comedy shows that can often fall short and feel rather awkward, but her apparent lack of nerves and friendly manner made the occasional interactive element seem both natural and relaxed. 

“Audience interaction was another of Callander’s strong suits”

Callander also used physical humour frequently to great effect, particularly as her performance of a dancing doppelgänger. Again, this had the potential to be rather uncomfortable if done badly, particularly in the small surroundings of the Corpus Playroom, but Callander’s ease meant that no awkwardness ensued. Instead, the use of movement and silliness meant that what could have been a stagnant performance carried by one person was, instead, dynamic and energising.

The choice to have each doppelgänger make an entrance and an exit was also astute, as a solid hour of a single comedian, even one as reliably funny as Callander, could have been tiresome. Facial expressions were another physical strength, carrying even the few weaker jokes. 

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The invention of weird and unexplainably fitting names for the doppelgängers was one of the more unexpected elements of the show and also, one of the funniest. ‘Bettina Swack’ was a personal favourite of mine, as well as Pam (short for Pamphlet, obviously) Seller, with the names matching the doppelgängers’ personalities in a very Hyacinth Bucket way. 

“...It is rare to come across a good joke that manages to incorporate Hermione Granger, Centre Parcs, and the Kray twins”

One of the only downsides of Doppelgängers was that it deserved a larger audience than it received, and it would have been nice for a full room to have enjoyed what was an excellent show. After all, it is rare to come across a good joke that manages to incorporate Hermione Granger, Centre Parcs, and the Kray twins