Indulge me for a second and ask yourself, as a punter: What do you want from the comedy festival? Are you interested only in the big name shows, the guaranteed laughs? Or, are you prepared to take a punt, if you will, on the more raw amateur shows? If you answered Yes to the latter, you should give Fran and Roxanne are Best Friends a go.

Stand-up comedian Lou Pardi and actress and singer Jacky Claff have come together to present a show about friendship that is two parts theatre, two parts musical and one part comedy. Roxanne (Claff) returns from trying to make a name for herself in New York and immediately lands on the doorstep of her best friend Fran (Pardi). The two friends are vastly different but their friendship is held together by something strong, albeit intangible. The exploration of which forms the core of the show.

The theatrical and musical elements tend to dominate here, giving Claff and her powerful voice more time in the spotlight than the stand-up of Pardi. For me, the laughs came out as more of a consistent chuckle than as real belly achers, and some of the jokes felt like they had been more finely tuned to family and friends than an unassociated audience. However, this is to be expected in a first show, and overall Fran Roxanne are Friends is an entertaining show that will improve as it is refined through performing to wider audiences.