BWW Interviews: The Twins Macabre, Talking SHOCK TREATMENT And Their Show At The Spiegeltent

The Twins Macabre - fresh from their success in the King's Head's hit Shock Treatment and their own broadcast appearances - are about to perform at the Spiegeltent. This new show is part-vaudeville, part-horror, and as Twin Nic Lamont says: "We're drawn to the dark side of everyday life - this show sees the freaks in all of us."

If that sounds up your street, their show is on Thursday 17th September at the Canary Wharf venue - but if it's a touch dark or you're under 14, there'll be plenty of other chances to see this increasingly busy pair. They were spotted by the Shock Treatment casting director when they appeared on BBC Three's new comedy slot Live at the Electric a year or two ago - and they've just featured on the BBC Radio Four programme Sketcharama.

"It's nice to have the Twins and do stuff as actors - it's a nice balance," says Adam Rhys-Davies.

In Shock Treatment, the pair played Cosmo and Nation McKinley - still a double-act, but sticking to someone else's script this time.

"It was strange," admits Nic. "We were a brother and sister pair in that too, we were still a duo; we were being directed and had a script but we could do our own things as well."

That liberty and the maverick, rebellious spirit of Shock Treatment kept things interesting during the run - and it garnered some fantastic reviews. The introduction of Pete Gallagher, taking over the role of Farley Flavors midway through from Mark Little, injected even more life and excitement into the show ("Pete was great, and he changed the dynamic in a really good way," says Adam, and Nic interjects, "He was such a pro at every stage. Nobody was worried at any point - except maybe Pete getting some nerves.")

The audience interaction for The Rocky Horror Show is legendary, and this stage premiere of its sequel developed its own behavioural patterns - complete with ad libs from the cast.

"It never got to the point where it felt rehearsed - it always felt new," says Adam, "and the audiences were just incredible."

"We were blown away by the Rocky Horror/Shock Treatment family," adds Nic.

There have been rumours for months that Shock Treatment might find a life elsewhere at some point soon - but in lieu of that, the Twins will continue to work on their own material. In fact, they're even writing their own two-hander musical for themselves to perform ("because we enjoyed Shock Treatment so much," explains Nic) as well as their own material for live shows.

"We love different characters," concludes Nic. "Some actors like to stay with a type. We're the opposite."

The Twins Macabre play the Spiegeltent on Thursday 17th September.

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