Iceberg Right Ahead! review, Gatehouse Upstairs

Small local theatres with big ambitions so often surprise. In Highgate, The Gatehouse is staging a new play by Chris Burgess commemorating 100 years since The Titanic disaster. Covering the ship's maiden voyage from beginning to end through the lives of 11 characters, it includes scenes in the ship's look-out, on different decks, inside the lifeboats, and at the Official Inquiry. The people and the places come together imaginatively in James Lewis' simple and clever set.

The play too is simple and clever, built around the everyday interactions of a group of crew and a competing set of First Class passengers on the top deck. In one scene the posh lothario tries to pass his doxy off to his mother as his father's secret love child, much to the horror of the older woman. Confusing? A bit. Funny? Very. There are many interesting scenes exploring sexual politics - men constantly using, or crossing the line with, women and providing Dennis Waterman-esque defences.

All small budget shows have an element of hit and miss. The cast is split between those that shine and those feeling their way.  Matthew Walker is electric in every scene as Fred Fleet, the look-out who spotted the Iceberg Right Ahead! too late. Amy Joyce Hastings is playfully knowing as thieving maid, Violet Jessop, and Nathalie Pownall is charming as chanteuse, Bertha Mayne.

In conclusion: Iceberg Right Ahead! is an absorbing two hours of drama. A few judicious cuts would help propel the action in the second half of a play that entertains, informs and intrigues. The ending is very poignant.

References
The Gatehouse, tickets