There’s nothing there. I’m not talking about Antarctica; I’m talking about Aidan Dooley’s script for his solo show Tom Crean – Discovering Antarctica.
It’s not as though the actual history isn’t rich; a lot happened. Tom Crean, an Irish sailor in the English navy, was a member of three Antarctic expeditions: Discovery (1901-1904), Terra Nova (1910-1913), and Endurance (1914-1916). Conditions were extreme. Men lost their lives. Foolhardiness and courage were off the charts. There are mountain ranges in Antarctica and, in Endurance, which was led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Crean, Shackleton, and another sailor — desperate to reach help before running out of food — went careening down a mountainside on a kind of toboggan made from coils of rope, which could have uncoiled at any time and flung them to their deaths in a crevasse.
This, and some other details of bravery and ingenuity stick with me.
But, in his script, Dooley gives them virtually no meaningful context in terms of character or relationships, themes or psychological development. In the show’s two-hour running time, which includes intermission, we never get any idea why any of these men would sign up for these missions or what the pay-off might be. Yes, these attempts to reach the South Pole are grand adventures, but they’re also torturous and deadly. Why go? What’s the inner life of these characters? How does Tom Crean’s understanding of his grand adventure and its value shift? In other words, what is Tom Crean about? Where’s the accumulation of meaning, the reason to keep listening? Dooley’s script barely even attempts to provide answers.
Occasionally, the play feints towards the development of relationships. Crean idolizes Shackleton, for instance. But the relationships are, at best, faintly sketched. Similarly, there are intermittent nods towards possible themes. Crean talks about how hope is essential to survival. This idea and others are stated, but none are ever developed.
And, since we know from the beginning that Crean survived, there’s limited narrative tension.
I was bored in Act 1, which covers the first two missions in an episodic fashion: “This happened then this happened”, but there’s no overarching idea to hold the events together. Act 2, which is all about the third mission, Endurance, is much better. Its story is more focused, there are fewer characters (which adds to the clarity), there’s more sensual detail, and the stakes are higher: the mission’s namesake ship gets crushed in the ice, which forces Shackleton and Crean into ever-more-dangerous survival strategies.
As a performer, Dooley shows considerable skill in his energetic and multitextured delivery. He also undercuts the drama by resorting to a kind of perky humour: “Oh my God! We were in such a pickle!” That’s not a quote; I’m trying to evoke the sometimes-flippant delivery.
For some audience members, the audacity of the adventures will be enough. I wanted a lot more meaning with the facts.
TOM CREAN – DISCOVERING ANTARCTICA By Aidan Dooley. A Play on Words Theatre production presented by Western Gold Theatre in association with CelticFest Vancouver. Running at the PAL Theatre until November 24. Tickets
PHOTO CREDIT: Aidan Dooley as Tom Crean
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