Ship Songs

A RIPPER OF A YARN, BEAUTIFULLY TOLD
Everyone has a great story in them, but only a few can really tell it. Ian Hughes releases his mother's great adventure with a deft touch, sailing and winding through three legendary adventures over several centuries with nothing but his talented self, a lot of breath, impeccable timing and some wonderful projections on a very cool sail. This is a perfect touring show that is lovingly, wittily, and gently shaped. It's a neat package all round.
Actor Ian Hughes bookends the piece with song, and in-between gives us our roguish Irish narrator, who has his own blistering romance of a tale to tell. But that story soon skilfully segues into the central tale of Gabrielle Barker, nurse and would-be adventurer, who also happens to be Ian's mum. This fiction-meets-fact paradigm is the real wind in the sails
of this story; life is indeed stranger than fiction and it's a wonderful distance that Hughes creates to spin this yarn.
The absolutely beautiful projections (by Michael Hodgson, Grant Bowyer, Theo Gibson) create a world of detail, wit, and fantasy. They are wondrous to behold, and it's fantastic to see Hughes perform so skilfully with the visual world they provide. Great timing and so creative.
I loved the Morse Code sequence - you have to see it to behold its sheer genius.
The storyline of Chinese admiral Cheng Ho is not as compelling for me as the other 2 yarns, as I struggle to see the direct connection with them. Granted, it does contain a ritual and formality that counter points nicely with the loose wit of our Irish rogue and the almost Naturalistic dilemma
of nurse Gabrielle. And of course the symbolism of human endeavour, and finding the shore, is pan-cultural. But I question the strength of this narrative thread.
This production boasts a talented team all round and its production values are accordingly very high. Anna Marbrook has skilfully directed a work that should be seen by many NZ audiences. John Verryt's design is sophisticated and strong. And maestro Don McGlashan's songs and music so perfectly underline the flow that they should be released on CD.
Ian Hughes is sharp, playful, accessible and emotionally wired into his audience. He's a lovely actor to watch. This is a ripper of a yarn, beautifully told, and highly recommended. A little gem in the 2009 Tauranga Arts Festival.