Norris and Parker @ Monkey Barrel

Norris and Parker return with a new Edinburgh Fringe show that's sure to delight veterans and newbies alike

Review by Yasmin Hackett | 09 Aug 2022
  • Norris and Parker

Katie Norris and Sinead Parker have acquired a sort of cult-like status over the years, and their 2022 show Sirens is a familiar welcome back to the Edinburgh Fringe, replete with skin-tight catsuits and a playful sense of unease hovering over the audience. That’s not to say that nothing’s new here – a global pandemic has changed us all, after all. It’s soon revealed that Sinead is trying her hand at being a drama therapist whilst Katie has written a play about a lighthouse. What could go wrong?

Sirens that the duo are, they lure us into the depths of their weird and wonderful imaginations. After some introductions (told through the medium of song), we arrive at a lighthouse-cum-guesthouse, with a prim keeper who goes by the name of Gillian McKeith, and her latest guest, Veronica Ham.

The show hangs around a gradual reveal of the play’s plot, told in three parts. It’s a loose structure by all means, but when it comes to Norris and Parker, chaos is the name of the game. Sketches come in bursts ranging from dabbling with techno boyfriends, strong northern women and a sing-along shanty about shagging cousins. Of course, no Norris and Parker show would be the same if any audience member were to feel safe from being picked on (looking at you, men). 

With cultural references to appeal to the millennial crowd (shout out to Beyoncé, Sally Rooney and being wine-drunk), gags galore, and a sweet ode to their many years of friendship, it’s a show that will have veterans and newbies to Norris and Parker revelling in shared delight.


Norris and Parker: Sirens, Monkey Barrel (MB4), until 28 Aug (not 17), 9.15pm, £7-10