An Irish back-packer decides it wouldn’t be a bad idea to fake his way onto a prawn trawler so he can make enough easy money to fly to Peru and visit Machu Picchu. Sounds like a fair idea right? Not even close.
Without any experience fishing at sea, nor any deep understanding of Australian culture, our man finds himself trapped basically and as his on-the-job physical damage worsens, the parents he gleefully left behind in Ireland seem less and less unattractive to him.
The production uses sound effects and lighting with a sparse but effective set and creates the world on board a prawn trawler successfully. Writer/Actor Eoin Ryan has based this mammoth adventure on his own experiences, so there are emotional moments that are very honest, showing himself warts and all.
The character never really crosses the line into being a stereotypically Irish fool, but he certainly dances on the edge of that territory here and there. He knows that he is responsible for his own actions, and has dared to pull the wool over his employer’s eyes, so there are interesting shifts in his character as he sails the mighty sea.
I found it quietly amusing and very engaging, I noticed there were certain moments where the story could have become a little more theatrical, but Ryan holds back from taking things beyond a simple truth-telling which ultimately works.
To mount such a vividly realised production as a one man show deserves five stars encrusted in barnacles.
Trawled is at The Garage International at Adelaide Town Hall until Saturday, 22 March. Get tickets here.
