The Ship, based on the novella The Royal Game by Austrian author Stefan Zweig, is a beautiful and simple retelling. Set in 1943 aboard an ocean liner sailing from China to the Southern Hemisphere, a mysterious man defeats the world chess champion. From here we discover his incredible story. 

Fini Liu’s direction of this piece is sublime. It’s simple yet clear and inventive. The audience are spilt in two as we take our place on either side of the stage and become passengers on board the ship where we will eventually meet Prosper and his story. The action subtly continues to oscillate so both sides are given a chance of a new perspective enhancing the strength of this tale. The action continually moves like a fine tuned melody. 

Liu has successfully collaborated with both sound and set designers to create beautiful storytelling. The soundscape is perfect bringing the audience back and forth from past to present as the story unfolds. Her dealing with the violence expressed is stylised and slick and allows a clever dilution to a more digestible colour which is necessary due to the intimacy of the theatre. Lighting design was amazing considering this petiteness of this  production. Using the shadows of the Prosper’s cell door to replicate a chessboard as he relived every move from the only source of literature that he possessed, was revelatory. Big applause to the technical crew on the night as though this is a small piece, the technical requirements would be challenging but went without a hitch in this humble production.

The ensemble of five told the story of Prosper beautifully. Most taking on several roles with nuanced choreography. Sliding between different languages with the subtitles creatively displayed. When the script traversed into Mandarin, I felt the acting became more solid and powerful. A true example of surreal and poetic story telling across multiple languages.

This is a lovely tale, beautifully crafted and I think a highlight of the Melbourne Fringe festival. A virtuous example of creativity and collaboration.

(At the time of reviewing, no list of creatives or cast was provided.)