Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time. 2 actors + 1 musician – a set – props – costume changes = 100% Chaos. Ravishing and ravaging chaos. Delightful chaos, Entropy. Insanity. Tomfoolery.
Let me go back to the beginning. What we have here is a stark stage peopled by 40+ characters, a quest for the Sands of Time and a play that should occupy no less than three hours packed into what is advertised at 60 minutes, delivered in 70 breathtaking minutes. Literally no time to breathe, or do anything but laugh.
The story? Captain Morrow (Ella Hope-Higginson) is given a treasure map by his imprisoned father, Ira (Callum Brodie) and sets off in pursuit of said treasure with the assistance of his trusty first-mate Hammond (Callum Brodie) and a filthy, treacherous crew (found in the comments sections of YouTube, Facebook and Instagram). The British Navy is in hot pursuit, led by the fearless Captain Renshaw (Ella Hope-Higginson). It’s stormy seas when they incur Poseidon’s (both actors + musician Ali Sewell) wrath, but they reach the Secret Island and enter the Cave of Six Eyes where they must face down the terrors that lie within.
Why, that sounds rather sensible, doesn’t it? Throw in some Chekhov, Shakespeare, Greek mythology and a few other literary references and we might have a high-brow masterpiece. These brows are not high. They’re untweezed, technicolor, shaggy bits of flotsam and jetsum inhabited by two astounding actors who seamlessly morph from one psychotic personality to the next. Chasing and being chased, plucking out each other’s eyes, swordfighting, dying – all within seconds. Sound track, editorial comment and ‘assistance’ provided by a singular cellist. (Ali Sewell)
Madcap just doesn’t cut it. How about frantic? Frenzied? Feverish? Where’s my thesaurus? I need more superlatives!
Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time is simply a work of pure genius, delivered simply. It has the feel of street performance crossed with the zany antics of a couple of uninhibited adolescents let loose in the Q Theatre’s Loft space. The actors, Ella Hope-Higginson and Callum Brody exhibit superhuman stamina and verbal prowess as they manifest 40+ unique personalities. Not to forget the all-attitude Ali Sewell.
Ben Behrens’s play has been critically acclaimed, most notably winning the Bobby prize at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This is the first time it’s been performed here in New Zealand.
Kudos to director Barnie Duncan, who is triple-times as a comedian and writer. His ability to pull this off is little short of miraculous: it could have gone so badly. But he’s brought us a solid 60 minute show (albeit one that came off in 70) of non-stop hilarity, goofiness and laugh-out-loud joy. You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time is playing at Auckland’s Q Theatre through 8 November. Tickets available HERE.
Veronica McLaughlin
All photos by Andi Crown
