Arts:Blog

Theatre Review: International Waters ***

Michael Cox reviews a production with impressive components but ultimately stalls.

With all of the turmoil currently happening around the world, there really couldn’t be a more fitting time for David Leddy’s International Waters to open. Set in a near future scenario where society is crumbling, the play is a satirical look at the 1%.

London has been cut off. Airports have been closed, banks and businesses are failing and uprisings are becoming the norm. Four influential people have managed to bribe and fight their way onto the last boat to leave the country: a bureaucrat, a media darling, a singer and a socialite. They think they are leaving for a better, safer life…until it becomes clear that they are not.

Most of the play focuses on watching the four getting degraded, with almost everything played for laughs. And for the most part it does strike the funny bone, though some of the jokes in the end are a bit on the grotesque when the script moves from wit to bathroom humour.

It is easy to admire every aspect of the production. Leddy’s script is filled with clever lines, and the direction is consistently crisp. The cast of four are not only great in their roles but are game for all the shenanigans they have to go through in the 75-minute running time. However, the real stars of the production are the designers: Becky Minto’s design concepts, Nich Smith’s lighting and Danny Krass’ sound are the production’s standout aspects and constantly impress.

And yet, as a whole the production doesn’t quite satisfy. Maybe it’s down to the joke feeling a bit overstretched and easy, or how the play ends on a cruel note—even if it is probably the most honest conclusion. Like the boat our cast of four find themselves on, International Waters stalls, finding itself adrift rather than ploughing full-steam ahead.