Ada & Bron @ Pleasance Courtyard

Focusing on a series of eccentric lovers, The Origin of Love showcases real-life couple Ada & Bron as talented writer-performers with big things ahead of them both.

Planting characters at the heart of every sketch, the pair have an excellent knack for world-building and a finely tuned ear for a sharply written piece of dialogue. Some real standouts include the Scandi couple who love two things, milk and their cow; the old lady and her helping hand; and the rockstar couple who have to prove their love for each other in increasingly unconventional ways. 

Each get their own monologue too. Bron is fun as an incel-esque character with a penchant for letters, but Ada’s solo is exquisite; it almost  feels like it was freshly written by the late Caroline Aherne.

There’s a real mania to Ada & Bron’s presence – yes, their characters are pretty wacky, but there’s a glint in both their eyes which says 'don’t take your eyes off us, you won’t want to miss this'. The energy does dip a little in the second half, and some of the recurring characters maybe appear one time too many, but the pair’s impressive interstitial musical theatre-lite choreography and the live musical accompaniment (provided by Ed Lyness) really carry it through.

The 11pm Pleasance Attic spot is made for shows like this. It is, after all, where both Gein’s Family Giftshop and Tarot found their feet – and it makes sense that Ada & Bron should find theirs here too, albeit less sinisterly and with a little less blood.

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Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love, Pleasance Courtyard (Attic), until 24 Aug, 11pm, returns only