Like The Smothers Brothers before them, the Rescigno twins raise sibling squabbling to an art form. Their supposedly driving each other mad drives the audience to hysterics. Paul and Robbie’s wide-eyed, baby-faced, preppy look with similar argyle sweater vests and similarly gentle-voiced insults makes them cabaret teddy bears with fangs. Singing or stinging each other with barbs about social/dating/career/physical failures, it never feels ugly or predictable. Goofballs trying to act cool and confident, they sing about getting their new actor “Headshots” (by Michael Hadge, who writes some of their special material). Their shows have guests, like sister Tricia, who also sings and makes them uncles. Aaron Jodoin on piano is fine, but might also be used more as a foil, the voice of reason or referee.

Like a tennis match, the quickly-served back-and-forth comedy banter and wounded or one-upsmanship reactions outshine the singing generally, but they make it all work. And when one lyric got forgotten, that “oops” moment was cleverly used as more fuel for the fire of funny fighting and fault-finding. A bit recalling beloved TV shows from their boyhood was cute (why not add some music?) but playing themselves as kids is not so striking when they already strike us as being childish in their grown-up interaction. Their comic timing is already impressively sharp and their underlying affection for each other shines through the nerdy needling. The Rescignos have teasing down to a T. That’s T as in “terrific,” which they are.

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
January 29, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org