Described as a “character driven musical comedy that explores ambition, friendship and modern working life”, Lifeguards: The Musical is a new play about three underpaid lifeguards who challenge the corporate world by going on strike. As there happens to be a reality TV crew on site at their resort, the world gets to see the vanity, ambition and ruthlessness that plays out of as the strikers become a cause célèbre.
Being shown as part of the Bitesize Festival of short plays, writers David Molyneux and Marshall Norbal succeed in fitting a remarkable amount into the brief 50-minute running time. Despite its comedy aspirations, the work tackles some distinctly dark themes, weaving together environmental concerns with sharp depictions of corporate greed, health and safety failings, poor management and personal loss. These are resonant, universally recognisable themes, forming a solid foundation for a promising piece – but currently it feels like a very early work in progress.
Interspersed with music, the production features four original songs with clever, catchy lyrics. However, the delivery proves too challenging for the cast. For the show to truly qualify as a musical, director Cecile Fray would benefit from engaging more accomplished singers.
The show needs considerable improvement. The direction needs much sharper discipline; the cast need to work on projection and practise their comic timing – enthusiasm alone can’t elevate the production from a spirited amateur effort into compelling theatrical delivery.
There is a clever idea at the heart of this play, and the script feels clever and funny, but it struggles to achieve its potential and lacks the performances it needs to succeed.
Review by Fiona Gilbert
When a kid “pops one” in a holiday resort pool, triggering a 24-hour shutdown, three lifeguards on zero-hour contracts find themselves unpaid and fed up. Inspired by Hollywood strikers, they swap whistles for picket signs, launching a comedic protest that catches the eye of a ruthless reality TV crew filming on-site.
The lifeguards crave stardom; the producers crave blood. Ignoring the strikers, the crew manipulates the neurodivergent resort manager into becoming their “dark” viral star. As the poolside audience is pulled into the action, the “incident” becomes a visceral metaphor: we are all swimming in the same polluted pool of corporate greed and environmental neglect.
Featuring four original songs and sharp satire, Lifeguards is a high-energy exploration of the delusion of civic power in the age of influencers. It’s a splashy, subversive comedy about what happens when the people we rely on finally stop treading water.
LIFEGUARDS
Riverside Studios
2 to 6 August 2026
