Forget Jerome K Jerome. This “Three Men in a Boat” saga is more Life of Pi without the tiger as our hapless protagonists, shipwrecked and adrift in a lifeboat, try to figure out how to survive. Whilst Swab Hand Bottle (Graham Geoffrey Hicks) and Able Seaman Jim Black (Paul Duckworth) seem to relish the added flavour from the weevils in the ship’s biscuits, Officer Gideon Oliver (Shaun Mason) doesn’t care for the taste and chucks the lot overboard. And so it goes for the 70 minutes of the single act, with the twists and turns of life at sea providing everything from slapstick to genuine pathos, with some surprisingly dark humour in between.
From the witty shadow play of the opening to the surreal and unexpectedly moving close, it is performed and directed with skill and expert timing. The trio of performers (all of whom are also credited as “devisors”) act instinctively together. On the opening night which I attended, an adhesive related problem, that caused one of our crew to lose bits of himself in the last ten minutes, resulted in the sort of ad-libbing that only comes from a group of actors who really know their craft. The ensuing hilarity subsided just in time to allow for the emotional payoff of the closing scene.
Kevin Pollard’s small but perfectly formed set and Josh Keogh’s excellent lighting design (his first professional credit) should continue to work perfectly on the forthcoming tour.
If you’re up for a great evening of inventive, imaginative and splendidly crafted theatre, try to get a ticket for this if you can. As I write, all but one remaining performance at the Playhouse are completely sold out. Visit: www.sinkorswim-spiketheatre.com to find tour dates and details.
also see www.everymanplayhouse.com for what's on at the Playhouse and Playhouse Studio.
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