Lost to the Sea is an exploration of grief after losing a child to an accident at sea and how the power of words can be a huge part of the healing process going forwards. Using a fusion of storytelling from Annie Sheppard, accompanied by cello player Agnes Klepinger, we see a sensitively created piece that keeps everyone engaged and enables mindfulness to be a huge part of the journey everyone takes in this particular Fringe show.
A sensitively created piece that keeps everyone engaged
What sadly infringes on this piece is the choice of venue. Bar Broadway has two spaces, one main bar and a small intimate studio theatre at the top of the building where Lost to the Sea takes place. A lot of the time, with loud noise travelling up from the main bar, it makes it harder to concentrate on it, or hear crucial moments to aid the tale, which means aspects of the stories are occasionally lost. Despite this, Sheppard and Klepinger carry on regardless and make sure their tale is told. They weave their magic, integrating relatable topics such as sadness, memories and finding love again.
The writing is intricate and weaves our reality into the land of myth where we hear about a girl who is kidnapped to be the wife of a fin-man and how she eventually escapes. This story is picked up by a woman called Brenda, who is undergoing a difficult time of losing her child by the method aforementioned and finds herself in a transitional period between fiction and reality as she finds the captured girl of the story following her in her dreams. Sheppard creates a world the majority of us can relate to. She treats all sensitive areas with respect and is likewise not afraid to take us to darker places where the mind can wander to during trauma. Sheppard is a traditional storyteller. No props, just words painting a picture of Brenda and the fin-man's world, inviting us to follow Brenda on her journey of healing, making sure that our hand is metaphorically held as we go along. The physicality of some of the characters are well defined, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if the actions were made a little bigger and less restricted to match the words spoken. This is potentially where a different, less restrictive venue could help a little here.
As for Klepinger, her musicality is complimentary to Sheppard's storytelling skills. Likewise, it is simple, not over the top, but gently adds to the adventures that unfold. She adds drama where it is needed in times of conflict and envelops us into a sadness that doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. Occasionally she sings and plays other appropriate instruments such as clackers creating the idea of bags of coins clanking together and a singing bowl to enable an awakening of Brenda's mind.
A good combination of skills and a heartwarming story, that would benefit from a better venue.
