Tom Crean
Olympia Theatre
Written and Performed by Aidan Dooley
It’s been a while since I was at the theatre for anything, and going to a one man show I was a bit apprehensive. How in the hell was one bloke going to keep a sold out theatre interested for 2 hours? Turns out, very easily. Aidan Dooley is a natural storyteller and after a brief explanation of where and what the Antarctic is (at the bottom, a large land mass, no-one lives there - Jade Goody take note) we got into the meat and bones of it. Tom Crean’s life from when he joined the British Navy, his expeditions on the Discovery, the Terra Nova and the Endurance and finally his pub in Annascaul.
More of a history lesson than a play, but interesting nonethless. Dooley engaged the audience - adults and children alike - in one sweet scene he explained the danger of deep crevices by leaning over the edge of the stage and shouting ‘helllooooo’ into the ground. Somewhere in the upper circle a small child shouted ‘hellllooooo!’ back at him which prompted the off-the-cuff ‘There’s my echo’.
Dooley is not a classic actor but he is a fantastic storyteller, bringing Crean back to life, sharing with us the disappointment at not being chosen for the final trek to the pole, the joy of hearing the breakfast bells ring in South Georgia, and the grief at finding Scott and three of the final party frozen in a tent a mere 11 miles from help.
If the show comes anywhere near you I would recommend it, as would the sold out audience last Saturday who gave the show a rousing standing ovation.
