Mavericks is a curious blend of stand-up comedy and surrealist sketches. Luisa Callander and Ruby Keane form the comedy duo who compose the production. Sharp and energetic, the show was polished to perfection, but lost its zing as it progressed.

When Callander and Keane were at their best, they were brilliant. Their accents in particular were always humorous, and their facial expressions were absurdly animated and comical. Witty one-liners came fast and thick. Parodies of Tinder, Netflix and Chill, and healthy doses of black humour created some great moments. There were some glorious sketches: the ‘chicken factory’ was a particular favourite of mine. Portraying two slow, monotone teenagers who underwent something of a horrendous experience working in a chicken factory, the scene was dryly cynical, evoking loud laughs.

Callander and Keane cleverly played with the dynamic between the two of them, swapping roles and exploiting their differences in style. Keane was more confident and assured, throwing out one-liners and often leading the sketches. However, it was Callander who threatened to steal the show; her ridiculously expressive face and high energy was always amusing. The two together were immensely likeable, creating a warm atmosphere that made the production thoroughly enjoyable.

However, as time went on the pace slowed. Callander and Keane themselves remained energetic and warm, but their sketches began to blur. The polished nature of the production worked well for many of their one-liners, but it made their silly, surrealist sketches feel forced: they were too far from reality. Cambridge provides an abundance of comic material that’s ripe for the picking, and the fact that they are women opens the door to so many wry observations and situations that I suspect Callander and Keane could have made hilarious. There was plenty of material that I would have really liked to see them bite their teeth into, and the silly, playful sketches weren’t quite tickling my sense of humour. The show didn’t quite push the audience from being wryly amused into hysterical laughter, which is a shame given the charisma of the two lead performers.

Callander and Keane are undeniably funny. Performing in a cast of two for just over an hour is no mean feat, and for a debut comedy show they showed plenty of raw talent. With the right sketches I have no doubt that they can be downright hilarious, but in this context they were limited. It remained an enjoyable and amusing evening nonetheless.