Female Transport

This play was certainly not a barrel of laughs, but it was impressive with hard hitting subject matter and dialogue which pulled no punches. Having said that, I was entertained throughout and found the rare comedy moments a true relief from the rest of harrowing tale.

From the word go we were placed in the centre of the action due to the very clever set construction. Being built as a cross section of the ship, it allowed the audience to experience the fetid cramped conditions below deck whilst knowing that fresh air was only a floorboard away, thus making  the action taking place in the hold all the more poignant and at times, horrific. Huge credit must go to the designer and constructors for all the attention to detail.

The pomposity of the surgeon and the captain came across well, as did the violent nature of Sarge, always ready to attack first and ask later. He managed to portray the fact that fear was also a motivator to his violence.

In act one it was hard to find the true characters of the prisoners, due to almost everyone playing ‘angry bordering on hysterical’. They all had more depth in act two and Pitty's character quietly took shape in the background, building throughout to a very believable state before her tragic death.
The hanging was very well staged to shock, but unfortunately due to a "not quite black out" below decks, I was able to see the rigging of it taking place. However this did nothing to detract from the scene and the other women's various reactions were beautifully played.

From Nance's first punishment in the barrel, we began to see the various women revealing their true selves,and a bond developing between them, but still every woman for herself if necessary.

Overall it was an impressive, believable and thought provoking production, which certainly made me glad to be alive now and not during the times of Female transports.

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