Originally published by L.S. Media. September 11th 2011.

Cast: Alice Bunker-Whitney, Holly Wilson-Guy.  

Tales From Under the Counter is the debut performance from the women behind the Idiotinsync Company. Deeply dark, in places disturbing as the audience realises that there are blind spots that we don’t see what happens in too people struggling in business against the big corporations and yet underneath it all touching and fresh.

Alice Bunker-Whitney and Holly Wilson-Guy took on the mantle of six people in one and half hours, all in their own way struggling with the pressure of the modern world, whether through relationship breakdown, loss of a family member or the recognition that the banks could foreclose on a business that may have stood for generations.

From the small scale sometimes can come big and incredible ideas, Tales From Under the Counter hits the spot exactly with this hard and even absurd look at the state of the British high street and the absurdity that we sometimes get a glimpse of but never truly understand.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening is witnessing the final ten minutes where they try to save the life of a melon that has been crushed by a hammer, its juice pouring out onto the floor as the young woman with a casualty obsession from the clothes shop tries to give it resuscitation is not only a joy to behold but a huge dollop of recognition that not only are the two women very funny but realists of the highest order.

If there is any justice in the world then the two women behind Idiotsinsync will go on to other projects and even take this play out on the road, it certainly deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. It may take time to achieve but they certainly have the potential to go the distance as much as French and Saunders did, they’re certainly just as funny and hard hitting.

3 stars

Ian D. Hall