Plenty of Fish in the Sea

A nun who only speaks French, another woman who doesn’t speak at all, and an English-speaking man rescued from the surging seas. Communication between the three is piecemeal and misinterpreted, but eventually, the newcomer to the fishing village of Saint-Cotriade becomes a part of the team that during the day, fishes for their supper, and at night… well, that’s best left for the audience to discover.

The physical theatre from Madeline Baghurst, Emily Ayoub and Christopher Carroll is outstanding, all of them graduates of the Jacques Lecoq Theatre School in Paris. Their movements combine perfectly as if a single being, whether gutting fish, serving soup, or transforming a bed into a boat on the high seas.

Indeed, the minimal set of bed, wardrobe, and window frame, is ingeniously re-purposed throughout: repeatedly turned and positioned on the tiny stage of the venue. Lighting by Victor Kalka and sound design from Daniel Herten are outstanding; together with essential props they enhance the effect, but the magic is created largely from these three actors as they bring to life Baghurst’s and Ayoub’s imagination on stage.

On the surface, the play is a tale of survival and community; but you don’t have to scratch hard to see a contemporary fable of ‘hook-ups’ and the ‘perfect catch’. The fishing analogies manifest way beyond innuendo, with soothing ointment and bread becoming much more sensual than their initial purpose.

This fast-paced, absurdist dark comedy is persistently ingenious, liberating, and brilliant.

Review by Mark Wickett

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