one4review | On 07, Aug 2025

By the end of this weird little delight, we’ve been buffeted by so much oddity that a message of love and acceptance that would otherwise be schmaltzy and twee lands exactly as it should: sincere and devoid of cynicism. We take a convoluted and at times bemusing path to get there, but the show succeeds in merging the ridiculous with the sublime, and by the end when it’s explained, it’s easy to look back and see this is where we were heading all along.

The show does lean heavily on the participation of one randomly selected audient, and thought they don’t have to do much, they are on stage and wearing a silly hat a lot. Our main character is Fisherman Jon, who opens the show by vigorously polishing his rod, and this sets a bit of the tone for the show. It’s not all prurient jokes, and the whole thing is very well crafted, but the opening with a slightly strange man wearing a sou’wester grinning and gently rocking in a boat does its best to let you know what you’re in for.

By the end however, we had been enthralled; almost-creepy Jon becoming endearing and the audience involuntarily trying to intervene to prevent an ending we didn’t want to see. There’s other, less high-stakes audience participation (don’t let the notes on the seats put you off), delightful use of a saw and a recorder, and this show sends it’s audience out a little bewildered but definitely uplifted.

Reviewed by Laura
14:45 (1hr)
Underbelly Bristo Square (Dexter)
Until