Full disclosure - being on any kind of ship at sea is my idea of purgatory. All that open water. All that enclosed space.
If Chloe Moss’s masterfully disturbing feminist thriller Corrina Corrina is anything to go by, then I’m right to be frightened. But it’s not the fathomless depths which hold the terrors - give or take the odd sea monster, the legend of which hangs over this compelling piece of storytelling - but those on board with you.
Especially if you’re the only female officer among a cargo ship crew of blokes. This world premiere by one of our most talented local playwrights received a standing ovation the night I was in and deservedly so.
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It’s a punchy commentary on patriarchy and capitalist greed set aboard a rolling sea of emotions with powerhouse performances all round. Laura Elsworthy in the title role is outstanding.
Spiky, believable and facing an uphill battle because of her sex she knows what she must do to get on and is both capable and eager to advance. Yes, she has to tolerate a captain (David Crellin) who talks the talk - ‘I’m a progressive!’ - but doesn’t walk the walk as well as a boorish face from her past in the shape of Will (played with brilliant, terrifying ordinariness by Mike Noble).
But she’s bright, finds friendship and common ground with one of the Filipino crew Angelo (winningly played by James Bradwell) and hides her vulnerability well. As the voyage continues the true nature of what has happened in her past - and its impact on her present - is revealed with devastating results.
The set, brilliantly realised on two levels as bow and bridge, has the claustrophobic feel of being on board ship while the excellent soundscape of bangs and creaks interspersed with judicious music, is almost a character in its own right.
This is a multi-layered exercise in thoughtful storytelling with two key plot lines - Corrina’s personal trauma and the plight of the Filipino workforce - united by the evil of exploitation.
You won’t see a better piece of theatre.
Get tickets for Corrina, Corrina here, on show until Saturday June 4.
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