one4review | On 25, Aug 2022

Raft deals with abuse, but it’s sensitive and respectful and gentle with its subject, and the central sea-monster metaphor means it can focus on the experience of the women involved without giving any more attention to the monster than is absolutely necessary. The monster is notably referred to as ‘he’ – not ‘it’ – one of the many small but unobtrusive markers of the show’s allegorical nature. The allegory is resolved in the after show credits, and that’s testament to the effectiveness of that approach: the knowledge puts a different spin on what you’ve just watched. I wouldn’t have got the same from the show with that knowledge in advance.

The show is musical theatre, and tells a lot of story in fifty minutes. The (main) cast are four women, and from the outset you get a strong sense of their characters, and their ages, not from their appearance but from the acting. This is complemented and supported by the songs – accompanied by live musicians – developing plot points and embellishing characters. As we went on, I was more and more invested in their survival, even if that looked neither possible nor likely.

Overall, this is a well written, performed and produced piece of theatre, exploring a really horrible subject with compassion. It steers clear of the maudlin or excessive gloom, and is a rather lovely piece of theatre.

Reviewed by Laura

Greenside @ Infirmary Street
16:10 (until 27th)