Directed by Sophie Mercell

Ice Cream? Check. Sun lotion? Check. Floaties and water guns? Check.

That’s right folks – it’s time for a day beside the sea, and we’re in for a right ol’ treat as the marvellous duo Chris and Christine are bringing their mother-son double act to the Festival Fringe! But while we’re waiting for Christine to finish having a ciggy, Chris could just hold the show by himself, can’t he? She won’t be long…

Audiences will be forgiven for thinking they’ve stumbled into a rather mundane, if charming hour set, featuring an adorable premise and some old-school harmless puns.

But quickly, Sea Words morphs into a wonderfully grim and pun-filled, even poignant character comedy with buckets of side gags, truths, and even elements of guilt in this chaos-infused solo attempt at a double-act. From the Punch and Judy-esque curtains to a children’s paddling pool fool of tricks and delights, Olly Gully pulls every trick out of those deep pockets to ensure the show continues. With a charming cocktail of a delivery, a mixture of Victoria Wood, Lee Evans, and a touch of Brucey, Gully’s Chris is the kind of old-school entertainer which you don’t find anymore.

For the uninitiated, the virtuosic Gully sculpts conscious theatre work with a well-meaning and deep-seated focus on mental health, queer theatre, and often with a sense of comedy or clown work. A touching and thoroughly nuanced (somehow, in a show with this many seaside puns) way to cross the generational divide of misunderstandings with mental health. But don’t worry – Chris will ensure you’re smiling right through to the end. Even as the sadness and weight of it all begin to press down on your shoulders.

So, just what do you do when you’re double-act partner doesn’t want to join you onstage? But it’s too late to send the audience home? Well, on with the show they say. Bouncing, fuelled by an anxious persistence to keep going, Gully has a rubber expression for the comedic, but still manages to capture a ripple of pathos as Christine (a voice-over recording) just isn’t feeling it anymore – and she’s not just talking about this one show.

A right ol’ good time, Sea Words transforms all those sepia-tinted gazes of old into something still relatively contemporary. Offering a fresh spin on the Brighton and Blackpool pier-side fun times, not only does Gully’s work build on the humour until it spills over and begins to hurt your sides, they manage to do so while constructing something smarter in the background, quite invisible until you’re already threaded into their plan: a surprisingly clever, and deeply enjoyable move.