Review: Albatross - Fisher Theatre

Review by Ray Tempesta

Menagerie Theatre and Martha Loader combined to great effect, as they staged Albatross, the latest work from the award-winning playwright, which contains an urgent message but ultimately very human account of the pressures and sacrifices involved in addressing the climate emergency.

When Alice, a glaciologist, returns to her mother Eve's house after three months stationed in Antarctica, she discovers that quite a bit has changed in that relatively short time.

While the visible consequences of climate change are signalled with the water-stained, wonky furniture in the kitchen having borne the brunt of a recent flooding incident, the impact of how quickly time passes is also illustrated with Eve's new and intense relationship with Martin following her husband's passing, as well as how much the hair of Alice's daughter Alba has grown while she's been away.

Eve (Agnes Lillis) and her daughter, Alice (Caroline Rippin) - image credit: Ashley Day

Despite potentially catastrophic ramifications if not addressed, a certain ennui still exists around the topic of climate change, inextricably linked as it is to so many aspects of the way we live.

And I daresay that upon discovering the themes of Martha Loader's latest play, Albatross, there may have been some eye-rolling among the general public. However, Loader's smart and drily witty script has the self-awareness to address this attitude head on.

While acknowledging that experts at times might appear as "moralistic, high-horsing doom-mongerers", as Eve refers to them in the play, rather than preaching to an audience already aware of the climate crisis, the piece instead demonstrates the sacrifice that the scientists and their families are making to try and fix problems caused by multiple generations.

Where Alice is full of urgency in her efforts to try and secure a future for her and her daughter, Eve is frustratingly laissez-faire about what's going on in the world, suggesting her daughter should just cheer up. "Yes, the climate catastrophe is a symptom of people being a bit too morose" claps back Alice in one of many brilliantly crafted pieces of dialogue.

Putting aside the crucial messages within, Albatross was superbly performed by the three actors, Agnes Lillis as Eve, Caroline Rippin as Alice, and Patrick Morris as Martin. Between them, they created a throughly convincing, claustrophobic domestic drama in an utterly absorbing 80 minutes.

Albatross continues its tour of venues in East Anglia throughout May. For full details of dates and venues, visit menagerie.uk.com