Presented by Dreambite Collective

Review by Laurie Kimmett

Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard

Cruise ships are awful for the environment. This is a pretty well-known fact. But if you’re wanting to be reminded of this, get yourself along to Pleasance to see Dreambite Collective’s two-hander, Cruising, by Katrina Bennett. 

We first meet Amelia and Sam in a bar on said ship. Having never met before, Amelia descends on Sam like a whirlwind, informing them that she works on the ship and needs cover to be able to drink. Flirting ensues, and things almost come to a head (ahem) until they realise they are both partners to the same person in a polygamous relationship. This is the most intriguing and engaging route the story could have gone down, and ends up having little bearing on the plot. Whenever there are references to their dynamic, it’s hilarious, a bit awkward, and really befits the romcom description attached to it – it’s a shame these references are few.

Having established this connection, Sam and Amelia embark on an eco-warrior rampage against the cruise ship – Sam, because they used to be a fervent activist until their partner, Tony, was jailed, and Amelia because Tony asked her to get Sam out of their cabin. What follows is a caper over the ship with increasingly outlandish climate actions taking place and a maniacal captain on their tail. 

‘Cruising’ doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be about. Despite its description as a queer romcom, polyamory takes a back seat in favour of climate action. And there is no attempt at discussing climate activism, apart from one aside about protesters making traffic worse. This could have been a real debate about the different ways collective action is perceived across the political spectrums, but instead Sam and Amelia are presented as always being in the right. With more of a focus, this script has real potential to be a clever, conversation sparking piece.

There are moments of interest, especially at the start, with the dialogue beginning as snappy and interesting. Clare Stenning comes on with real energy as chaotic Amelia, firing from all cylinders with panache and zest, but the character doesn’t seem to have much motivation for anything other than herself. Davy Roderick does their best with the material they have for Sam, but quickly settles into a one-dimensional pace, making a lacklustre character even more difficult to care about. Towards the end, there is a scene with audience interaction that has promise, but this needs to be scattered throughout the play to have any actual impact. When you have twenty captive people all focused on your show, use them!

In a show where attention is already difficult to cling on to, it’s imperative that the details keep the audience immersed. And unfortunately, details are lost in Cruising. Sam asks Amelia why she decides to join in their climate action, to which she replies that she read the flyers they just printed. But at this point in the plot, Amelia has already flooded the deck with water as a protest. As for the flyers themselves, they are very clearly lifted from The Hope Theatre in London (although as a slight plus, their Autumn programme looks fab).

There are flashes of potential scattered throughout Cruising, and Bennett clearly has a spark as a playwright. With more development and thought, this could be a great show one day, and audiences should hope that Dreambite Collective are back with new work next year.

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