South (Salford)

Venue: The LowryWhere: SalfordSouth is set in 1962, when going to Antarctica meant twelve months cut off from the outside world, and if you miss the boat you’ve got another twelve months before another one comes along. For Daniel, a biologist, going south is a life long dream and he is determined to go even if it means leaving his fiancée for two years. When he finds out she is pregnant just when he arrives, he makes the decision to stay despite the consequences.Ian Winterton’s father spent two years in Antarctica and his passion and knowledge of the subject shines through. He includes the sort of details, which only come with substantial research and there are some witty references to the culture of the period.  Creating the Antarctica on stage is a challenge faced head-on. With the help of the British Antarctic survey, and Martin Winterton and his former colleagues, there are genuine clothes and props from the time and designer Bethany Wells does wonders with a piece of white tarpaulin in numerous creative ways from snow, to a mountain to both the outside and inside of a tent.Peter Swaffer-Reynolds’ sound effects are also instrumental in transporting the audience to the action. There is a marvelous moment when you can hear the hollow metal of a ship and then they decide to go on deck and you are immersed into the outside sea air. Unfortunately Reynolds gets carried away with the plinkity piano music, which kicks in periodically as if to alert the audience to high drama.Quite a lot happens in South. Apart from Daniel’s abandonment of his fiancé and unborn baby, in the second half he also makes a breakthrough discovery about global warming and that’s just before they hear news of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Strangely, despite this wealth of drama, the play plods at a slow pace. The characters are nicely sketched and well acted, but the storyline itself is clunky. So much time is devoted to everyday life for the six members of the Antarctic Survey team that possible war and environmental disaster almost seem to be thrown into the mix as an after thought.  And when the tragic end finally comes, it leaves one feeling not shocked, but a little cold.- Joanna Ing