A brand new musical in regards to the proposed, controversial disposal of oil firm Shell’s Brent Spar oil storage facility in 1995 has impressed Glasgow theatre firm Sleeping Warrior’s newest musical.
The demise of the enormous, rusting, yellow monolith rising 135 meters above the North Sea sparked a worldwide media storm, prompting each public and political protest that included the boycotting of Shell petrol stations, bodily assaults, and an arson assault towards Shell in Germany.
In mild of the worldwide wave of unfavourable publicity Shell was pressured to desert its plans. In actuality, neither aspect emerged unscathed. Greenpeace themselves, the heroes of the story, overstating their claims of the hurt the disposal would trigger. To its credit score, To Save The Sea presents either side of the story, with, in fact, one aspect of the story rising quite extra triumphant than the opposite.
Creators Isla Cowan and Andy McGregor have chosen the notorious three week occupation by protesters in Scotland as their focus, and the non-public tales of the courageous souls who sailed over the rocky waves to avoid wasting the North Sea. Very a lot a narrative of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” it’s a celebration of the human spirit and an quaint story of the triumph of excellent over evil. Arguably, a narrative good for these troubling occasions.
The motion gallops alongside at a brisk tempo, the intense message to be delivered in addition to the humour, completely balanced. It swings from riotous humour and staging (the John Major scenes a triumph) to plucking the center strings in Rachel’s (Kara Swinney) massive ballad. There’s loads of hearth and rousing fury all through. It additionally cleverly weaves the factual data and political message into the piece with out preaching.
To Save The Sea is an ideal coming collectively of its components. Claire Halloween’s multi-layered set is a triumph. In such a confined enjoying area it appears to be like majestic. Chris Stuart Wilson’s creative choreography is dynamic and supplies loads of curiosity to the attention.
While the characters are undoubtedly stereotypes, every is sufficiently well-drawn for us to make a connection. That it manages this in a spare 90 minutes, is laudable. The script largely manages to keep away from slipping into cliches and the music is palms down the most effective of any Sleeping Warrior manufacturing to this point.
Musical theatre-lovers will see the work wears its influences on its sleeve, with scenes together with the Shell executives giving a nod to Chicago and the Herod scene in Jesus Christ Superstar.
The forged are magnificent, particularly Kara Swinney as quiet mom Rachel who walks out of her entrance door unannounced in the future and into a ship throughout one of many roughest seas on this planet to avoid wasting the planet and Matthew McKenna as German activist Karl who will get to showcase his superb vocals within the hovering rating.
Sleeping Warrior have managed to faucet into the present urge for food for extra human tales, for items of labor that make a connection. On paper it might seem to be a small scale manufacturing however in actuality it’s a enormous story informed on a grand scale, with imaginative and prescient and ambition. It deserves to be seen by as extensive an viewers as potential. Hopefully it’ll have a life effectively past this nationwide tour. A triumph.
5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Runs till 28 September 2024 then touring | Images: Mihaela Bolivia
