Review of Tom Crean, Antarctic Explorer

Hi Val, Malc and Taglines readers

Last night Aidan Dooley brought off an extraordinary feat at the Theatre Le Colombier, Les Cabannes, for Friends of the English Theatre. 

He managed to convince me that his few cardboard boxes and sheets draped over an easel or two were another poor, crouching encampment in Antarctica backed by icy mountains from which he clawed his way from certain death, time and again, in expeditions with Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. The chilling starting sound track of crashing waves and howling wind helped achieve this. 

Dooley himself wrote the one man play and he and it are closely identified. His hands are actors and join the text. His lilting West Irish rural accent was a pleasure to listen to in itself. He second guesses the questions in the audience's minds. He answered, in delicious detail, one of mine. What on earth were those poor early explorers WEARING? Answer, yes they were underdressed and freezing cold because if they got up a sweat it would freeze to them and kill them! And yes they liked to wear ordinary leather boots. And weird frilly hoods and windproofers like dresses.

The extreme intensity of the experiences he underwent was conveyed with courage and truth, humour, butch understatement and occasional tears. An example of this was the way he described the necessary killing of loved and trusted husky dogs, pups and the ship's cat after Shackleton's ship became crushed in pack ice. No comment about the emotion....and it was all the more powerful for it. I hope the ghost of Crean is proud. Bouquets for Mr.Dooley.

Love

Sally Bradshaw

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From Helen and David Graham

Hi,

 After the performance of Tom Crean, Antarctic Explorer, David and I drove home in complete silence, both completely stunned by what we had experienced. Once home, we tried to articulate our feelings and spent a long time discussing what we had seen.  In short, we consider it the most amazing theatre, storytelling, we have ever experienced. The most extravagant words and phrases simply don’t do justice to it: it was utterly remarkable. Aidan Dooley took us with him on two most extraordinary journeys- expeditions -and we were there with him, all the way.  Moreover, we would go with him again, and again- as his hero, Tom Crean did with Scott and Shackleton.  The privilege was all ours. Thank you, Aidan Dooley.

Helen