Ship Rats is a new play written by Alice Clark and directed by Laila Noble and it is a co-production with the Traverse Theatre.
Jessie (Maddie Grieve) is a woman aboard a cargo ship in 1880. She's the wife of the captain but things become a little tricky for her as there's now a dead body on board... Jin Hai (Sebastian Lim-Seet) works in the kitchens and the pair meet in unusual circumstances below deck.
Both have their prejudices about the other. Jin Hai believes Jessie to be bad luck on a ship and then holds disdain for her when he realises she's the captain's wife. Jessie has been told "never trust a Chinaman" and her racism matches his sexism.
The dialogue between the two is witty and engaging. They are trying to individually find a method of escaping the ship- both connected to the recently deceased person on board and fighting over the oars. They quickly learn they have a lot of common ground.
Alice Clark's hour-long play is a funny and enjoyable two hander with great performances.
Oran Mor, Glasgow: 11-16 September 2023
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh: 19-23 September 2023
Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wen
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