Aboard the Crystal Prophecy cruise ship, passengers distract themselves as they sail to the Arctic to see where the ice used to be. In Malaprop theatre company’s exuberantly inventive vision of the climate crisis, disparate elements are juggled gamely by an ensemble of five actors playing multiple roles, and by director Claire O’Reilly.
In the crammed script written by Carys D Coburn and the company, the cruise ship setting is a high-camp framework for a burlesque floorshow in which orange-feathered dancers double up as the many species of songbirds that have become extinct. Later they play a rabbit being poisoned by pesticides and a humpback whale choking on plastic. As he hosts the cabaret, the wild-eyed captain (Peter Corboy) takes pot shots at the birds, killing them off, with a mordant commentary that manages to allow some room for hope.
