An oft-overlooked aspect of many theatre productions is the music/soundtrack/sound design(er), call it what you will… but this (Faye James) was the foundation of this show; dreamy, fragile, melancholic but beautiful, reflected in the dialogue between the two siblings, Eddie (Morgan Beale) and Ira (Camilla Anvar). What’s more, aside from the tech and beats mastery on display, it started with an accordion.
The brother and sister have convened in a faded seaside town following the demise of their parents and some context is lightly sketched in as they gently bicker. Their parents had a club ‘The Dancer’ and it’s fallen upon hard times, the chief patrons being two local, rival societies, one keen on whales, the other on bones in general. Ira knows this because she stayed while Eddie left, marrying someone who it’s hinted is a trifle overbearing. ‘Risk averse’ is Eddie’s phrase when his sister tries to persuade him to go diving together.
Dive they do, of course, and some subtle comedy intrudes via the underwater hand signals and sign language the duo employ while roaming the depths. They don’t find much at first, but Eddie does lose something; his wedding ring. Ira’s lost something too but precisely what it is remains elusive until the end. They do eventually find a boat, they find a crab, some playing cards with advisory mottos, but what persists in dividing them is what to do with the club.
What’s fascinating is how this is created and put on the screen upon which we witness the proceedings. Through this semi-transparent screen we see clever and intricate old-skool prop and puppetry work combined with the use of high-tech cameras. It is, in effect, live cinema, excellently illustrating and complimenting the soundtrack and the story. Which won’t be spoiled here… go and see for yourselves what transpires.
Running August 6th – 31st (not 18th or 25th) https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-wreck
Reviewer: Roger Jacobs
Reviewed: 13th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating: