Bourgeois and Maurice

It is three years since inter-dimensional cabaret act Bourgeois and Maurice played the Spiegeltent during the 2014 Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Following that show the duo allegedly de-camped to an alternative reality within a parallel universe to consider matters of existential importance. Now they are back, this time at Norwich Playhouse, but the world has changed for the worse during their absence. Donald Trump, Theresa May and, to a lesser extent, Britney Spears, have all conspired to make our world a troubled and dangerous place, and our lives are now perilous and fraught. Cue seventy minutes of song, satire, flamboyance and indifference as George Bougeois and sister Maurice Maurice consider 'How To Save The World Without Really Trying'.

Starting with a song about armchair activism, but swiftly moving on to the disappearance of Europe (well, that is the Bourgeois and Maurice spin on Brexit) and to the continuing Greatness of Britain, this show attempts to put a finger on how we have got ourselves into this mess, and where the answers might lie. I am still not quite sure where the theories about chem-sex parties fitted in, but one suggestion was that hedonism provides a realistic political alternative to capitalism, fascism, or globalism.

Their final answer might surprise you, but scrape away the layers of satire, showmanship and pretent-i-ous faux pronunciations, and Bourgeois and Maurice might actually have stumbled across the truth.

Whilst the stage set seems quite sparse, even allowing for the large video screen and Maurice's disco-keyboard ensemble, George's illuminated ring and flashing collar fill the void with sartorial elegance as he puts his body through an abundance of dramatic gesture.

This pair always attract a devoted crowd, although tonight we somehow feel more distanced than in a smaller club or festival venue. Audience interaction is less spontaneous, and is mostly confined to repartee with the front row. However, the show still bristles with intelligent and witty observation, and heralds the duo's welcome return to Planet Earth, and Norfolk. And, who knows? Perhaps we can all be saved with a little touch of B&M.