Review: TO THE OCEAN, The Greenhouse Theatre
Photo credit: Bailey Fear
The Greenhouse Theatre is like no other. It is the UK’s first zero waste theatre currently situated in Jubilee Park, Canary Wharf. Its headline production for this season is To the Ocean, a modern retelling of the Selkie myth.
To the Ocean is a classic coming of age story, mixed with magic and mythology. In this play with song,s we follow Grace on the day of her sixteenth birthday on an adventure to discover the secrets of her past. She travels through storms and across land and sea to seek out her long lost mother whom her father has always been too scared to tell her about. This is a simple story that explores themes of love and belonging.
Performed with a cast of four actor-musicians, the story is told through a mix of narration and dialogue which makes the story easy to follow. There is also variety of music including a sea shanty and songs that are, at times, reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. The cast of Laura Kent, Fintan Quinn, Stuart Curlett and Alice Robinson all play a specific character and share the role of narrator. This keeps the audience engaged and helps to explain the myth of the selkies, who shapeshift between a seal and human form. The cast are all accomplished musicians which extends beyond the songs as they create a soundscape with their instruments which cleverly includes a rain stick in the storm scene.
The current location of the theatre certainly makes for an interesting contrast between the rustic nature of the small wooden structure and the harshness of the city. At times, the outside noise means you have to strain to hear the actors, which is often a flaw of shows in-the-round. However, this also draws you further into the story paired with the intimacy of the space which pulls you into the wonders of the Scottish nature. The production is low budget largely due to the focus on sustainability, which has led to a simple and sparse set. This means that nothing is superfluous and it demonstrates that theatre does not need to be flashy to tell a good story.
To the Ocean is endearing, enchanting and a truly unique theatre experience.
To The Ocean plays at The Greenhouse Theatre until 3 September, with further information here.