Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Pool Noodles is a quintessential Fringe afternoon show, a breezy romp from three likeable young performers, keeping their mix of daft gags and silly plotting afloat with their eager energy. 

Alex Franklin, a 2018 Chortle Student Comedy Award finalist, takes the central role in this narrative sketch comedy as Kenny Shallows, a wide-eyed young man keen to become a lifeguard just like the hero he’s seen saving a dog on TV. 

In a story that withstands zero scrutiny, he gets accepted onto a training course in which success is determined by completing a decathlon. But he learns of a secret elixir that will give him an unbeatable edge, so he follows a series of clues around the leisure centre to get hold of it. That involves him playing crazy golf, doing a surprisingly well-choreographed dance class and spoiling a child’s birthday party.

With a jaunty song (I’ve Got Chlorine In My Eyes), awkward puns and a penchant for going off-script, it initially seems like this trio are paddling in the shallow end of comedy. But behind the daft sketches, the knockabout show reveals itself more tightly constructed than you’d think – though you’d still be hard-pressed to call it ‘clever’.

The three enthusiastic performers have great chemistry and an infectious sense of fun. Franklin exudes a smiley, wide-eyed naivety; Will Bicknell-Found performs preposterous characters with restrained stupidity; and Angela Channell – drafted in from the subs’ bench to join the cast just a couple of days ago – slots in seamlessly as the exacting trainer with a dubious Australian accent, among others.

The daft scenes are pacy but with a playful and loose energy that gives space for a bit of improvisation, especially when a bit of audience participation goes slightly awry. And they display an inventive use of lo-fi props – the titular pool noodles proving exceptionally versatile, doubling as everything from the evil janitor’s broom to a horse.

There’s similar creativity in the script, untethered by the need to make much sense, it still just about holds together. But Pool Noodles is the sort of show that lives or dies on the charm and energy of its performers, and there’s no need for CPR here.

• Chuck Salmon: Pool Noodles is on at Just The Tonic at The Caves at 4pm

Review date: 25 Aug 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Just The Tonic at The Caves