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Liam’s joined the synchronised swimming team. But Liam can’t swim. That’s the basic idea behind Tom Wells and Matthew Robbins’s one-man musical, ‘Drip’. That, and a love story, a friendship story and a finding-yourself story.
Performed by Andrew Finnigan as Liam, it takes the form of a Year 11 school assembly. Strumming his acoustic guitar, this is Liam’s elaborate apology note to his best friend Caz after he refused to participate in their showcase swim. If Liam can get this solo musical right, they might still win the Project Prize and be besties once again.
Caz and Liam are the non-cool kids. The ones who aren’t invited when their classmates are getting pissed and dancing to Dua Lipa. Caz has a scary dad who drinks and then gets sad, Liam has relocated to Hull from South Shields and, apart from love-interest Josh, they don’t really have anyone else but each other.
The songs are sort-of catchy, a bit samey, but basically nice. Crucially, they’re believable as the sort of song a teenager with a guitar and a heart-of-gold might write. The lyrics are resolutely PG-rated, with the toast-eating and Spiderman references outweighing the one mention of having a wank.
It’s easy to see why this paddling-pool sized show was a bit of a hit in the kidult playground of Edinburgh Fringe. You wear ponchos! And blow bubbles! And play with blow-up beach balls! There’s a confetti cannon, some school hall-like lighting design and, at the end, everyone joins in for a sing-song.
And it also works as a bit of gentle Christmastime watching. Because although it totters nervously on the edge of a massive plunge pool labelled ‘TWEE’, Drip just about manages to be genuinely sweet and fun to watch. Think of it as the indie theatre alternative to ‘Love Actually’, or an embroidered Christmas jumper you think you’re too cool for, but still take joy in wearing.