Frisky & Mannish

Frisky & Mannish
OriginLondon, England
GenresCabaret, Comedy, Parody music, Pastiche, Pop music, Popular culture
Years active2008–present
MembersLaura Corcoran, Frisky
Matthew Floyd Jones, Mannish
Websitefriskyandmannish.co.uk

Frisky & Mannish is a British musical comedy double act, created and performed by singer Laura Corcoran and pianist-singer Matthew Floyd Jones.[1] Known for their pop music parodies, the duo have toured the fringe festival and comedy festival circuits in the United Kingdom and Australia,[2] and appeared on a number of British television and radio programmes.[3][4][5][6] The act's name derives from two incidental characters mentioned in one couplet of Byron's Don Juan: "Lady Fitz-Frisky, and Miss Maevia Mannish, / Both longed extremely to be sung in Spanish" (Canto XI, LIII.)[7]

Background[edit]

Jones was born in south-west London and brought up in Surrey, whilst Corcoran hails from Greater Manchester.[8][9] They first met as undergraduates at Oxford University and began a partnership writing comic songs for the student sketch troupe The Oxford Revue.[10] After graduating, they moved into a shared flat in London.[11]

On 5 March 2008, at a music hall-themed fundraiser on a barge in Battersea, Corcoran and Jones decided to "mess around with a few songs," and performed pastiches of "Papa Don't Preach" (as an operatic aria), "Eye of the Tiger" (in a bluegrass style), "I'd Do Anything for Love" (sung by a young child), and "Come On Eileen" (as a heartfelt ballad.)[9][10] Their performance led to a "firm booking for an hour-long show," after which the pair developed a fuller concept and "reverse-engineered some sort of coherent act into existence."[12]

Career[edit]

Stage[edit]

Corcoran and Jones have written and produced eight Frisky & Mannish shows to date, all of which have toured internationally, and a Christmas-themed show that has been performed at the West End’s Lyric Theatre and Edinburgh's Hogmanay.[7][10][13] They have played many London venues, including Shepherd's Bush Empire,[14] Noël Coward Theatre,[15] Soho Theatre,[16] Southbank Centre,[17] The Forum,[18] Bloomsbury Theatre,[19] and KOKO.[20] In Australia, they have presented shows at Sydney Opera House and Sydney Cabaret Festival,[7][21] Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Adelaide Fringe,[22][23] Melbourne International Comedy Festival,[24] and Fringe World in Perth.[25] They have also toured to Wellington and Auckland,[26][27] Dublin,[28] Berlin,[16] Singapore,[1] Hong Kong,[29] and New York City's The Slipper Room.[16]

Their first full-length show, School of Pop (2009), a series of "educational" lessons developed during their monthly residency at Leicester Square Theatre,[7] was described as "the undisputed hit of the Edinburgh Fringe,"[30] garnering thirteen five-star reviews from publications such as Chortle, Edinburgh Evening News, The Herald and Time Out.[31] Their send-up of Noël Coward and Lily Allen was particularly praised.[8][32][33] Kate Nash, whose song "Foundations" they combined with Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", attended one of their performances.[34] A sequel entitled The College Years (2010), based around a central thesis of "collision theory,"[35] premièred at Latitude Festival,[36] and placed second (out of 2453 productions)[37] on Edinburgh Festival Guide's list of top-rated shows.[38] Pop Centre Plus (2011), the final instalment in their "Pop Education" trilogy, was launched at the udderBELLY Festival on South Bank,[34] structured as a careers advice facility.[28] In 2012 they introduced two new shows, Extra-Curricular Activities,[39] and a black comedy called 27 Club, which delved into the eponymous cultural phenomenon.[40] Just Too Much (2014) continued this darker theme, concerning itself with meltdowns in pop.[41] In 2015, inspired by the reaction to their viral short film protesting comments made by Gary Barlow on The X Factor,"[42][43] they created a variety show, Cabariot, featuring guest acts and original songs tackling a range of social issues.[44] After a short hiatus, the pair returned with a tenth anniversary show, PopLab (2019), comprising a series of scientific experiments.[45]

Radio[edit]

In March 2011, Scott Mills featured a number of Frisky & Mannish songs on BBC Radio 1, which led to several live interviews and performances on the programme.[5][46] They also wrote and recorded "Perfect Christmas Single" (with Mills and co-host Chris Stark) for a Radio 1 Stories documentary in December 2012; the track was made available on the channel's website and downloaded over 170,000 times.[47][48][non-primary source needed] Other radio appearances have included BBC Radio 2 (Jo Whiley),[6] BBC Radio 3 (The Verb),[49] BBC Radio 4 (Sketchorama),[50] BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne),[51] and BBC Radio Scotland (MacAulay and Co).[52]

Television[edit]

In August 2011, Corcoran and Jones were featured on BBC Two's The Culture Show, performing a comic song about the art of making comic songs.[3] They have also appeared on children's programme Dick and Dom's Funny Business (BBC Two) and variety show Live at the Fringe (BBC3).[4][53]

On the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2011, contestant Edward Reid's performance of nursery rhymes to the tune of Leona Lewis's "Run" was accused of plagiarising Frisky & Mannish's "Wheels on the Bus," a nursery rhyme medley set to Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground".[54][55]

Reception[edit]

Corcoran and Jones have been positively reviewed in a number of British publications such as The Daily Telegraph,[8] The Evening Standard,[56] The Guardian,[32] The Independent,[57] Metro,[58] The Observer,[33] although several reviewers have confessed to finding Frisky & Mannish difficult to describe.[8][59][60] One publication referred to them as the "King and Queen of the Fringe Festival."[39] They have been acclaimed for the skill with which they perform and the cleverness of their observations,[16][61][62][63] whereas negative criticism of their act has tended to focus upon a perceived lack of depth to their material.[64][65][66] The Guardian identified them as a rare example of a successful mixed-gender comedy duo.[67] Their act has been praised by Ed Byrne,[68][non-primary source needed] Susan Calman,[69][non-primary source needed] Shappi Khorsandi,[70] Sarah Millican,[71] Dara Ó Briain,[68] and Ruby Wax.[72]

Awards[edit]

Corcoran and Jones won an Editor's Choice Award at Brighton Fringe, a Best Comedy Award at Adelaide Fringe, and an Entertainmentwise Award at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[73][74][75] They were runners-up in the final of Hackney Empire New Act of the Year,[76] finalists in the Musical Comedy Awards,[77] and nominees for a Chortle Award (Best Music or Variety Act),[78] Loaded LAFTA Award (Best Newcomer),[79] two Fringe World Awards, and four London Cabaret Awards.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Frisky & Mannish". Musical Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Frisky & Mannish". mcintyre-ents.com. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b "The Culture Show at the Edinburgh Festival". IMDb. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Three at the Fringe". IMDb. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Frisky & Mannish perform Girls Aloud and Whigfield... sort of". BBC. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b "BBC Radio 2 – Live from the Edinburgh Festivals". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Tripney, Natasha (13 July 2011). "Interview: Frisky & Mannish". exeuntmagazine.com.
  8. ^ a b c d Cavendish, Dominic (19 August 2010). "Edinburgh Festival 2010: Frisky and Mannish interview". The Telegraph. London.
  9. ^ a b Rudden, Liam (7 August 2009). "Interview: Laura Corcoran and Matthew Jones". Edinburgh Evening News.
  10. ^ a b c "Frisky and Mannish interview". British Comedy Guide. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Glam rocks: Meet the stars who are taking cabaret mainstream". The Independent. London. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  12. ^ Mannish, Frisky &. (19 August 2014). "Frisky & Mannish: taking the beep out of the Pussycat Dolls". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Comedy cabaret duo Frisky and Mannish fulfil dream with New Year gig". Edinburgh Evening News. 29 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Frisky and Mannish at Shepherd's Bush Empire". unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Frank Skinner & Friends". lovetheatre.com. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d Jones, Alice (26 December 2009). "Talent 2010: The comedians, Frisky & Mannish". The Independent. London. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  17. ^ "Frisky and Mannish at Southbank Centre". londontown.com. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Frisky and Mannish tickets". seetickets.com. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Frisky and Mannish at The Bloomsbury Theatre". thoroughlymodernmilly.com. 16 December 2010.
  20. ^ "Frisky & Mannish – on stage at 7:30 pm". koko.uk.com. 14 December 2012.
  21. ^ "Review: Sydney Cabaret Festival". lgbtqarts.com. 25 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Program announced for the 10th Adelaide Cabaret Festival". australianstage.com.au. 15 April 2010.
  23. ^ Emmerson, Russell (19 February 2013). "Frisky & Mannish – Extra Curricular Activities". The Adelaide Advertiser.
  24. ^ "Melbourne Comedy Festival: Frisky & Mannish's School of Pop (UK)". cabaretconfessional.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  25. ^ Dickinson, Nerida (February 2012). "Review: Frisky & Mannish's Pop Centrelink". Arts Hub.
  26. ^ Bourke, Chris (19 March 2010). "NZ Arts Festival: Frisky and Mannish review". The New Zealand Herald.
  27. ^ "Cabariot: Frisky and Mannish". aucklandlive.co.nz. 29 September 2016.
  28. ^ a b "5 questions for the Fringe: Frisky & Mannish". Daily Edge. 19 September 2011.
  29. ^ "Event: Flawless & Edinburgh Festival Allstars wrap up Udderbelly this weekend". Hong Kong Free Press. 12 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Frisky & Mannish: The College Years". The List. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  31. ^ "Frisky and Mannish – School Of Pop". The List. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  32. ^ a b Logan, Brian (20 August 2009). "Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop – Comedy review". The Guardian. London.
  33. ^ a b Merritt, Stephanie (23 August 2009). "Gild young Lily with a dab of Noël". The Observer. London.
  34. ^ a b Lamont, Tom (3 July 2011). "Frisky and Mannish: 'It's hard making pop music funnier than it already is'". The Guardian. London.
  35. ^ "Fringe Review – Frisky & Mannish: The College Years". Edinburgh Spotlight. August 2010.
  36. ^ "Latitude – Arts Additions". presscounselpr.com. 23 April 2010.
  37. ^ Fisher, Mark (10 June 2010). "Edinburgh Fringe programme 2010: my first festival faves". The Guardian. London.
  38. ^ "Top-rated shows – Edinburgh Festival Guide". The List. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  39. ^ a b Obank, Emma (23 August 2012). "ED2012 Comedy Review: Frisky and Mannish – Extra-Curricular Activities". Three Weeks.
  40. ^ Herriot, Brett (21 August 2012). "Frisky & Mannish: 27 Club". Broadway Baby.
  41. ^ Hutton, Dan (23 July 2014). "Latitude review: Frisky and Mannish, Just Too Much". A Younger Theatre.
  42. ^ Walters, Ben (19 October 2012). "Cabaret stars make a song and dance about Gary Barlow's X Factor jibes". The Guardian. London.
  43. ^ Gardner, Lyn (22 October 2012). "What cabaret can teach traditional theatre". The Guardian. London.
  44. ^ Dickinson, Nerida (15 February 2016). "Frisky and Mannish: CabaRIOT". ArtsHub.
  45. ^ Chu, Deborah (4 August 2019). "Frisky & Mannish's PopLab". The List.
  46. ^ Richardson, Jay (8 July 2011). "Frisky and Mannish interview". The List.
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  48. ^ "@friskynmannish on Twitter – Perfect Christmas Single". Twitter. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  49. ^ "BBC Radio 3 – The Verb, 2014 Edinburgh Festivals". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  50. ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Sketchorama, Series 1". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  51. ^ "BBC Lauren Laverne". BBC. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  52. ^ "BBC Edinburgh Festivals 2009 – MacAulay and Co". BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  53. ^ "Dick and Dom's Funny Business: Mouse in the House with Warwick Davis". IMDb. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  54. ^ "Edward Reid new favourite for Britain's Got Talent victory". Metro. UK. 24 April 2011.
  55. ^ "Britain's Got Talent star Edward Reid accused of copying comedy duo". British Comedy Guide. 25 April 2011.
  56. ^ Dessau, Bruce (27 May 2011). "Simon Cowell would struggle to fault Frisky and Mannish" London Evening Standard.
  57. ^ Jones, Alice (26 August 2009). "Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop, Underbelly, Edinburgh". The Independent.
  58. ^ Smith, Damon (5 August 2011). "Voguing all the way to the Fringe" Metro.
  59. ^ "Edinburgh 2011: Frisky & Mannish, Pop Centre Plus". Broadway World. 22 August 2011.
  60. ^ "Frisky and Mannish are Pop Educators and you must attend their classes". dontstopthepop.blogspot.com. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  61. ^ Bennett, Steve (14 August 2009). "Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop". chortle.co.uk.
  62. ^ Eardley, Nick (22 August 2009). "Frisky and Mannish's School of Pop". The Skinny.
  63. ^ Crawford, Skye (7 August 2009). "Frisky and Mannish School of Pop". fringereview.co.uk.
  64. ^ Copstick, Kate (16 August 2010). "Comedy review: Frisky and Mannish: The College Years" The Scotsman.
  65. ^ Clark, Lisa (27 March 2010). "Frisky & Mannish's School of Pop – Australian Comedy Review" thegroggysquirrel.com.
  66. ^ "Frisky & Mannish's School of Pop". australianstage.com.au. 28 March 2010.
  67. ^ Logan, Brian (5 April 2011). "Where are comedy's male-female double acts?". The Guardian. London.
  68. ^ a b "Dara Ó Briain". Twitter. 9 August 2019.
  69. ^ "Susan Calman". Twitter. 14 August 2019.
  70. ^ "Edinburgh Festival 2010: Celebrity Choice". The Telegraph. 16 August 2010.
  71. ^ "Sarah Millican - Posts". facebook.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  72. ^ "My Edinburgh: Ruby Wax, comedian". The Independent. 24 August 2011.
  73. ^ Stamp, Richard (30 May 2010). "FringeGuru's Editor's Choices for Brighton 2010". fringeguru.com.
  74. ^ "Frisky and Mannish Extra Curricular Activities". pinterest.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  75. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe 2014: The Hottest Shows of This Year's Festival". entertainmentwise.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  76. ^ Cook, Tony (1 February 2010). "Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Final 2010 review". The Stage.
  77. ^ Hughes, Gemma (15 April 2009). "Tuborg Musical Comedy Awards – The London Word". thelondonword.com.
  78. ^ "And the 2010 nominees are..." chortle.co.uk. 15 February 2010.
  79. ^ "Loaded LAFTAs 2012 nominees announced". comedy.co.uk. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.

External links[edit]

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