The snug space of Park 90 at Park Theatre is perfect for Emanuele Aldrovandi’s Sorry We Didn’t Die at Sea, translated for a British audience here by Marco Young. Directed by Daniel Emery, who with Young is co-director of Riva Theatre, the intimate setting allows the audience to see every flinch of fear, every brief touch of tenderness and every wince of discomfort in this tense yet darkly comedic piece.
The play focuses on three characters attempting to illegally escape the UK for a new life of opportunity across the sea, a thoughtful twist on the current migration situation. The characters, made a foursome by the sinister shipping container owner, never earn names and as their stories gradually unfold through a series of lies, half-truths and stark honesty, each of the ensemble gives a solid and enjoyable performance. The smart use of a sliding curtain creates a moving backstage for scene changes but each is essentially on stage for the full 90 minutes with no interval which adds to the feelings of desperation and entrapment – and also to me felt like the perfect run time.
The space itself – not dissimilar, we learn, to the size of an average shipping container – contributes perfectly to build the feeling of claustrophobia for the audience, the discomfort on stage edging its way out to us in our seats. The play is brutal in parts, designed to shock and unsettle, but is also laugh out loud funny in places which balances out the bleakness.
While I enjoyed the performance there were elements of the play that didn’t sit quite right with me. There are large swathes of surrealism which range from being quietly interesting to absurd and almost confusing. These, for me, got in the way of telling what could have been a more thought provoking and challenging story. While a break from the traditional narrative of storytelling can be a real joy in theatre, this felt a little bit like style over substance and meant that I left more confused than reflective which I don’t think was the intention.
Overall for me this was a talented cast delivering a clever execution of a play that didn’t quite deliver what I was looking for; not quite my cup of tea but an enjoyable watch nonetheless.
Sorry We Didn’t Die at Sea runs until 30th September at Park Theatre. https://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/sorry-we-didnt-die-at-sea
Reviewed: Zoe Meeres
Reviewed 14th September 2023
North West End UK Rating: