Showing @ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 1 Feb only
100 years after Captain Scott’s tragic polar trek, the madness and hubris of the men who chose to take on the desolate landscapes and terrifying power of nature still fascinate us. This show from Czech company Wariot Ideal centres on two Victorian predecessors of Scott and their isolation and solidarity amongst the ice and snow. But long before it reaches its destination, this show gets lost in a blizzard of its own making.
Dreams of dancing penguins, seals and wolves mixed with fantasies of glorious returns to civilisation are sharply performed and fun to watch, but other than showing off the undoubted physical talents of the two performers, it’s questionable if they add anything. This is a bowdlerised depiction of Antarctic insanity, playful and fun but insubstantial; it doesn’t entirely trivialise the subject matter but nor does it feel truly borne out of the minds of men on the edge.
The other major theme of the show, that of the importance of friendship, is stronger and raises its head in the moments of stillness, but even then these are fleeting set against the sea of colourful animal impressions and energetic mime. The skills of the performers and the combination of sound, music, light and simple props somewhat redeem the show, and even if it takes a few minutes to acclimatise to their brand of theatrics, the scenes never outstay their welcome.
In the end this is a neatly constructed piece of physical theatre that foregrounds the skills of the performers to great effect, but falls into the trap of becoming so enamoured with showiness that it forgets almost entirely about the storytelling – setting out a narrative stall and then abandoning it. This is an entertaining, enjoyable piece of work that could have been so much more, but like our great polar heroes, just fails to achieve its goal.