My overall impression
I was so ready to hate this play.
I showed up overheated and out of breath, rushing from another show only to discover that Pool has no discount for Fringe-goers or participants, nor are they offering any preview rates. The fellow at the door informed me that this show had not set out to be a Fringe show, & had originally planned to charge people $21 dollars a pop. Odd, since the Fringe website says they are charging everyone $20 right before it says a Fringe Button will get you a dollar off. May want to have a talk with the box office, Mr. Producer.
Putting that aside, within minutes of this play beginning I was enraptured and by the time the last words were uttered, I’d completely forgotten my previous bad mood and was filled with excitement at the possibility of what physical theater can be.
Pool (No Water) is an ensemble piece delivering a group monologue in sections and at times in sync, all the while moving about the space with a frenetic energy and razor sharp choreography that left me breathless. I was enraptured for nearly 90 minutes, and the action never felt forced or slow. The story follows a group of creative types and their deep connection to each other, contrasted by the loathing and jealousy they all feel for the one of their number that actually “made it big.”
It is a terrific plumbing of the depths and depravity to which the human soul can plunge, yet is pulled off with such an artful grace that my mind was left reeling and in wonderment. Aside from one uncoordinated weak link in the ensemble, this cast shone with a brilliance that dazzles!
I wrote the 1st paragraph of this review as a warning to my fellow Fringers, so that they would not suffer from sticker shock when they got to the box office, but I’m writing this last bit to let you know, 20 dollars is worth the talent and keen mastery of movement that is on display down at the Complex this Fringe. Go if you can afford to; This show is what good theater is all about!
