‘Glides as pleasantly as a wave and crashes into you with hilarity.’
‘Spraywatch: A Beautiful Rescue’ comes to the Edinburgh Fringe from English performance company Low Fat Productions; and it makes an absolute splash! We follow a bubbly Santa Monica lifeguard (Izabella Webb) as she is banished from sunny California to the dull and drizzly British seaside town of Spray, where she seeks to revamp the town’s dying beach scene and reignite the love of the job back into the lifeguard team.
Webb delivers a fantastic performance of the American bimbo stereotype through the Lifeguard, but also plays the Lifeguard with depth; her genuine sincerity and supportiveness is evident towards the other characters, and her actions are in the best interest of those around her, resulting in a truly likeable protagonist. The main cast also stars Abbie Ashall, Jamie Knapper, Ant McGinley and Natalie Hayes, who all contribute enormously to bringing the town of Spray to life. It was particularly enjoyable to find out that each character (primarily the members of the Spray lifeguard team) all have at least one song where they each take the lead, which demonstrates each actor’s vocal ability and strongly contributes to the worldbuilding and character development, really working in the production’s favour.
This musical knows what it is and dials it up to 100%, it’s camp, it’s silly, it’s funny, yet it also includes some genuinely heartfelt moments. The original songs are incredibly catchy, mostly demonstrating total daftness and hilarity that left the audience in stitches. The writing is also spectacular, giving the actors room to showcase their comedic chops and charisma but also filled to the brim with clever plot points that interweave into a cohesive storyline that are satisfyingly fulfilled by the end.
The set and lighting were also admirable, utilising its small budget incredibly effectively; beach towels were used as a backdrop (keeping the audience within beachy vibes the whole time), and allowed for dynamic lighting projections that were unique with every song; the location changes were indicated by beach chairs that had images of different places on them; the actors also announced every time they would walk through a door, which was hilariously effective and really contributed to the show’s tongue-in-cheek energy. All of these aspects made it even more charming as a Fringe performance, with production choices clearly having a lot of thought and care put into them but also the embracing of not taking the premise too seriously.
‘Spraywatch: A Beautiful Rescue’ is filled with impeccable comedic timing and a ridiculously enjoyable atmosphere. This original musical comedy spoofs the Baywatch franchise but really blossoms into its own unique performance through its hilarity, yet also its positive message of loving yourself and the community around you. This is a show not to be missed and fully worth the watch, it was everything and more that this reviewer wanted in a Fringe show; a great time, a community of an audience, and a performance brimming with a lot of love, genuine enjoyment, and passion.
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: The Space @ Niddry Street
Dates: Now running from the 17th till the 29th of August
Time: 19:30 – 20:40
Suitable for 16+ (Guideline)
Ticket prices: £16.50/£14.00 Concession
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Tickets available here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/spraywatch-a-beautiful-rescue