Review: TO SAVE THE SEA, The Gaiety

In 1976 Shell constructed the Brent Spar, a floating oil rig in the North Sea. In the 1990s Shell were granted permission from the UK government to dump the redundant rig in the sea and Greenpeace objected to this decision.

To Save The Sea is a new Scottish musical written by Isla Cowan and Andy McGregor with Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company which tells the story of the protestors. The characters are fictional but the overarching story is true. This musical portrays anyone who opposes them as a pantomime villain. Ewan Somers makes for a brilliant John Major but the satire does eventually wear thin. It's clear that Greenpeace are meant to be the heroes of the story but the balance of the narrative lets it down a little. 

The five activists who occupy the Brent Spar in the hopes of saving it from being dumped in the sea all have their own reasons for protesting. The cast are terrific with some really outstanding vocals. McGregor's music and lyrics are great with some big, bold numbers that work really well.

It's a fast-paced show that runs at 90 minutes with no interval. It looks great thanks to Simon Wilkinson's lighting design and Claire Halleran's set design which takes us from the oil rig to the Shell offices. This sung-through musical is a promising production with a wealth of talent behind it. 

Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

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