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Review: SHACKLETON, Tron Theatre, Glasgow

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Shackleton is the story of the Ernest Shackleton's 1916 Antarctic expedition. Although it is generally viewed as a failed expedition, this production honours what the men did achieve on the mission.

The staging of Shackleton is imaginative and quite magical. The 75 minute show is completely wordless and relies on scaled miniatures, shadow puppetry, lighting and subtle sound effects. I've never known an audience to be quite so silent for the duration of a performance.

The use of scaled miniatures with bed sheets surrounding to represent icebergs just shows the sheer size of what the men are up against. The boat gently creaks its way through icy water and stands strong against the howling wind and terrifying thunderstorms.

While Shackleton is mesmerising to watch, the narrative isn't overly clear. The performance opens with projected text advertising that men are wanted for the expedition and ends with a brief summary of what happened at the end of their venture. While the format is beautiful, it does start to repeat itself and would maybe benefit from clearer storytelling.

Shackleton runs at the Tron Theatre until Saturday 17th June.

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