A young women of 22, recently left unemployed by her beloved ‘Aquatown’ of Luton, reveals her inner thoughts, imaginations and desires to a new pet goldfish, Toby. Eva Sampson as Laura carries us tremendously with brilliantly imaginative stories from her childhood years and up to the present. Full of whimsical tales and quirky little revelations,‘Waterproof’ wonderfully delivers a ‘love story of sorts’.Laura dreams of more for herself, hungering for adventure and glamour from her bedroom. Her surroundings are small and confined, reflecting the poky aquarium where most of her daydreaming occurs, filled with inventive props that when used bring surprise and magic. The set acts as a toy-chest for Laura to use as she pleases, finding different avenues to present her stories. This playful style of storytelling makes for an endearing performance, particularly the company’s charming use of puppetry.I feel the ending was meant to be something spectacular, filled with the exciting plans for our woman-on-a-mission and her hero. However there were too many ideas working at once, which came across as mere confusion. Aside from that overabundance of enthusiasm, this is a lovely and uplifting production full of invention and promise.
