★★★
Adelaide Fringe. Jack & Jill’s Basement Bar. 15 Mar 2023
Eric is a former submariner with Her Majesty’s Navy. He served on nuclear submarines and has signed the Official Secrets Act, which prevents him from disclosing any information that might be against the interests of the British state. So, what can fifty minutes of ‘tale telling’ by a submariner really get into? Well, as it turns out – lots, and its intriguing and funny.
The show is billed as comedy/storytelling, but it’s not stand-up, which is a blessing in disguise, because if it were it might well have inevitably slipped into gratuitously bad language and sexual innuendo. This show has none of that. Rather, it is a heartfelt and genial rendering of Eric’s time in the Royal navy and the adventures he has experienced. And there are lots of those: some very funny, others achingly sad (but usually with a well-timed rib-tickling punchline!), and one or two that are genuinely distressing.
Eric’s description of his initial training, especially about how to escape a submarine, are jaw dropping. The stories he tells are richly described – you almost feel you are there but are glad you aren’t! – and they come thick and fast.
Eric is a generous and warm fellow, and you can believe that the safety of the free world was in good hands when he was below the waves. He has a free and inclusive style with the audience, and it seems there might always be former servicemen and women at his shows. They keep him sincere (but I don’t think he has a dishonest bone in his body!) and can be heard muttering agreement and endorsement of his reflections.
When the show was over, I walked back up the stairs in the daylight with a smile on my face and better appreciation of the life of a submariner – with its danger, deprivations, mateship, and salty humour – but all the time glad that it was never me!
Kym Clayton
When: 15 to 18 Mar
Where: Jack and Jill’s Basement Bar
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
