one4review | On 14, Aug 2022

This well-developed whimsical romp is long-form sketch comedy. It’s got many of the elements you’d expect from sketch and improv – a plot that refuses to do the expected, a plethora of well-drawn characters, inventive and minimalist staging – but it isn’t a series of disparate self-contained and unrelated scenes. It’s an hour-long story of a young man dreaming of becoming the world’s best lifeguard, told by three accomplished performers playing so many characters. (Not so many as to be unwieldy. But enough to be impressive).

It’s also got something of pantomime about it, with self-aware over-performed exposition for the benefit of the audience, and characters who range from a little bit to almost entirely caricature. Unlike pantomime, there’s no definitive ‘bad guy’, and most of the characters are quietly nuanced. The plot doesn’t always follow established narrative tropes, and these nuanced characters and subverted tropes add a lovely extra layer, without moralising or preaching.

There’s minimal but effective use of the audience, breaking the them/us barrier and making us feel part of the show. There’s a couple of songs in the mix (adding to the panto feel) and some places where it seemed the performers were surprising each other with elements they added ad-hoc. The last honourable mention is to the depiction of an 8-year-old asking questions half-way through a safety briefing. I feel like I’ve met that exact child. This is a great fun and well-executed show.

Reviewed by Laura

Just The Tonic
16:00 (not 15th)