To Save the Sea
★★★★☆ Defiant hope
Traverse Theatre: Thurs 10 – Sat 12 Oct 2024
Review by Rebecca Mahar
Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company presents To Save the Sea at the Traverse and on a Scottish tour, a new musical capturing the efforts of Greenpeace environmental activists to prevent the disposal of Shell’s Brent Spar oil storage facility at sea in 1995.
Opening in darkness and to the sounds of water, the show first reveals its Greenpeace activists as voices and lights in the night, visible only by the glow of their head torches, embarking on a mission more important than individual identity.
A scene from To Save the Sea from Sleeping Warrior. Pic:Mihaela Bodlovic.
The activists are joined by journalist Brianna (Kaylah Copeland), whose in-character reporting also serves as narration for the musical, and demonstrates her journey from observant press to taking an active role in the protest.
The background of each character is revealed over the course of the show: who they are, where they came from, why they joined the protest, and what they sacrificed to do so. Led by Karl (Matthew McKenna), a bastion of stoic, hopeful persistence, activists Engel (Katie Weird), Rachel (Kara Swinney), and Colin (Nathan French) begin as strangers and end as a committed cohort— but not without some tension along the way.
gritty existence
Opposing the activists are the camp trio of Shell executives, Rupert (David Rankine), Karen (Helen Logan), and David (Ewan Somers), struggling to find a way to get rid of the activists that’s at least semi-legal and as cheap as possible. Somers also puts in a brilliant performance as former PM John Major, and Logan as German chancellor Helmut Kohl.
In sharp contrast to the gritty existence of the activists on the Brent Spar, this trio’s appearances are marked by upbeat, almost mocking music, harmony, over the top choreography, and bright, colourful lighting.
A scene from To Save the Sea from Sleeping Warrior. Pic:Mihaela Bodlovic.
Simon Wilkinson’s lighting design is a key contributor to the effectiveness of To Save the Sea, providing deep atmosphere to Claire Halleran’s versatile and detailed set. These design elements collaborate cleverly to definitively and seamlessly separate the stark reality of the Brent Spar from the fantasyland of the Shell executives, living in their own little world.
Directed by Isla Cowan (book and lyrics) and Andy McGregor, (music, lyrics and arrangements), the show is tight and well-paced, packing its ninety-minute runtime with story, while also allowing tender moments room to breathe. At times, particularly during an otherwise powerful ballad by Kara Swinney, the pre-recorded music incorporates jarring synthesizer instrumentation that is a sharp departure from the rest of a well-orchestrated score.
exceptional performances
Full of exceptional performances, beautiful design, and a message as relevant now as it was in 1995, To Save the Sea is a standout new musical of defiance, hope, and the power of individuals to make a difference.
Running time: One hour and 30 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED.
Thurs 10 – Sat 12 October 2024
Evenings: 7:30pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
To Save the Sea on tour
The Gaiety, Ayr
Wednesday 16: Tickets and details
The Byre Theatre, St Andrews
Friday 18 Oct 2024: Tickets and details
Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
Tuesday 22 Oct 2024: Book Tickets
Dundee Rep, Dundee
Saturday 26 Oct 2024: Tickets and details
Cumbernauld Theatre at Lanternhouse
Monday 28 Oct 2024: Tickets and details
The Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen
Wednesday 30 Oct 2024: Tickets and details
Eden Court, Inverness
Saturday 2 Nov 2024: Tickets and details.
A scene from To Save the Sea from Sleeping Warrior. Pic:Mihaela Bodlovic.
ENDS
