‘Beautifully awkward’: Leeds comedy duo to take 'surreal' look at beauty industry before Edinburgh Fringe

Every great creative partnership needs a defining origin story, but for Leeds-based actors and writers Jennifer Carss and Annie Hall, theirs almost ended on a hard shoulder.

After first crossing paths in a local acting class a decade ago under the tutelage of prominent Yorkshire acting coach Natalie Gavin - where they frequently had to leave the room for making each other laugh too much - the duo went their separate ways.

Annie moved to London to navigate the gruelling lifestyle of a self-described "struggling actress" before returning north to hibernate from the industry.

A chance reunion at a creative workshop last year instantly rekindled their comedic chemistry, though a celebratory car ride home nearly cut the reunion short.

"Annie actually nearly killed me," Jennifer laughs. "She offered me a lift down the M62. I was making her laugh so much she was swerving in and out of lanes, and I was just thinking, 'Well, we're going to die.' It was a great start to working together."

"The indicators were going, the wipers were going, I didn't know what was going on," Annie counters defensively. "But I’m a really conscientious driver; I watch the F1. I feel like I could be Oscar Piastri."

Fortunately for West Yorkshire's comedy scene, they survived the journey.

The result of that reunited manic energy is Glow Job, a fast-paced, two-hander character comedy that is set to preview at Chapel Allerton's Seven Arts this July before heading up to the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Pulling back the curtain on a multi-billion pound industry

Devised through a continuous process of improvisation and real-world observation, Glow Job sees the pair transform into a dizzying kaleidoscope of characters as they track the desperate employees and eccentric client base of a cosmetic clinic on the brink of collapse.

To save the business, the staff begin introducing increasingly heightened, desperate, and absurd treatments.

Yet, despite the show's provocative title and cosmetic backdrop, Hall and Carss are quick to point out that the piece is far from a cynical takedown of people who opt for cosmetic enhancements.

Instead, the comedy holds a mirror up to the predatory nature of the multi-billion-pound beauty industry itself and the societal pressures surrounding ageing and "biohacking."

"There’s a big element of everyone needing an opinion on someone else’s body, and ultimately, we don’t need to," Annie explains.

"There's no berating people. We want to shed light on how absurd some things have got for the sake of just getting money off people when things aren't actually scientifically backed."

"It’s about what light we're shining on it," Jennifer adds. "By making things seem huge and ridiculous through surrealism, it can actually pull the audience away and make them think, 'Wait a minute, is this everyday thing also just as ridiculous?'"

The pair cite northern comedy royalty Victoria Wood and Julie Walters - specifically their iconic health spa sketch - alongside Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright as massive architectural influences on their writing style.

"Sally Wainwright touches on that beautiful everyday comedy and writes people so relatable," says Annie.

"That’s exactly what you want."

From Leeds to an intimate Edinburgh Fringe performance

The show has already passed its first major test in front of a live audience.

Taking a 20-minute excerpt to a local comedy night hosted by legendary Yorkshire comic Silky, the duo were met with a wall of non-stop laughter from a packed room of 100 people - a terrifying jump for Annie, who had mistakenly misheard Jennifer and thought they were performing to an intimate group of 19.

"Whenever we're on stage together, we have each other's back so much," Annie notes.

Jennifer agrees, adding: "It's just safe, isn't it? Safe to make a fool of yourself. You go into the fire with improv and test the stuff out, but I know that whatever happens, Annie's there."

That artistic safety net will be vital when they pack their bags for Scotland: Hall and Carss Productions have secured a coveted 10-day, nine-show run at the Edinburgh Fringe, performing out of Greenside’s highly intimate, 22-capacity Pickle Studio.

It is a deliberate choice for a show that thrives on the subtle, cringeworthy nuances of human interaction. While the duo ultimately visualise Glow Job evolving into a six-part BBC television comedy series, they believe the immediate future of the stage show belongs in tightly packed, atmospheric rooms where the audience can feel the tension.

"I wouldn't want it to be on a scale as big as the Leeds Grand Theatre, because you lose the micro-expressions and the comedy," Jennifer reflects, drawing on her experience working front-of-house across major Leeds theatres.

"Somewhere like Leeds Playhouse or City Varieties would eventually be amazing. The intimacy of a small room is going to be so awkward for the audience; I can't wait. They're going to be transitioning between laughing and total, awkward silence."

According to the creators, that discomfort is precisely the point. Early audience feedback has already coined a phrase that the duo have proudly adopted as their definitive review.

"An audience member recently told us it was 'beautifully awkward,'" Jennifer smiles. "He said he was actively squirming in his seat while watching.

“To us, that is the ultimate good sign."

Glow Job comes to Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton on July 23, 2026, at 7:30 PM. Tickets for the Leeds preview and their upcoming Edinburgh Fringe run can be booked directly via the Seven Arts website or on the Hall and Carss Productions’ Instagram page.