“The Sinking of the Princess Sophia” hits some high notes for drama in Haines, including timeliness, a tight, locally produced script, strong casting and clever use of the Chilkat Center’s new, multi-media effects.
The trajectory of the play-and-slide-show tableau borrows generously from Ken Coates and Bill Morrison’s 1991 classic, “The Sinking of the Princess Sophia: Taking the North Down with Her,” and for good reason.
The book is rich with nuggets and the tale is told against the onset of winter in the Far North, as foreboding a season as any for the setting of an Alaska story, and a perfect one for cozying up to watch a real-life drama.
The show’s big-screen projection of dramatic historic photos and telegrams transports the audience to the place and time of the tragedy, precluding the need for a set, as action moves between the actors on stage and projected images.
A fantasy scene between Jack Maskell (Ben Cherry) and Dorothy Burgess (Rebecca McCoy) and a fateful discourse between sea captains Locke (Jim Shook), McDougall (Dave Routh) and Stidham (Rhys Williams) best delivers the story’s pathos and tragedy, respectively. Performances by Mrs. Thompson (Tracey Harmon) and radioman David Robinson (Kyle Clayton) add zip.
Jim Shook deserves kudos for stepping in at the last minute to play a difficult role as the conflicted captain of the doomed vessel.
On opening night, the play faltered on the close timing required for transitioning between staged scenes and projected images, and on unnecessary competition between live actors and projected images for control of center stage. One can’t help but think that an offset screen may have eliminated this distracting dichotomy, while improving timing and adding movement to the show.
Some extra rehearsals would have made “Princess Sophia” more seaworthy, but Sue Waterhouse, Mark Sebens, Michael Stark and crew deserve credit for staging such an ambitious project in a month’s time. So do actors willing to learn their roles and perform on such a deadline.
Following last year’s “Politics: It’s Murder,” the show proves that Haines dramatists can write solid shows on a tight schedule and pull them off in workman-like fashion. The town’s local theater scene has come a long way.
Author’s note: An earlier version of this column referenced Lynn Canal Community Players. LCCP did not sponsor “The Sinking of the Princess Sophia.”