A suprise hit show at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe, Eric's Tales of the Sea has now gone on a nationwide tour. Emma McAlpine heads down to the Soho Theatre to see what all the fuss is about.
Waiting for the show to start in the Soho Theatre studio, I muse that it's hardly surprising someone collapsed here last week - it's packed and more than a little warm, something which Eric in his cream woolly-pully appears acutely aware of.
I've heard a lot about this show. A gripping set of stories about the unusual and dangerous life of a submariner, Eric's Tales of the Sea was a surprise hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2008 and was so popular it returned to the festival last year, winning a Three Week's Editor's award in the process. Last week we were sent a press statement saying that Eric had dashed out of his show to help a woman who'd collapsed so I am more than a little eager to see the man in person.
Eric isn't your stereotypical burly serviceman, but as he tells us some of his meals consisted of a baked potato and a Mars Bar, perhaps it's not altogether unusual. Joining the Royal Navy at 16, he was immediately plunged into life-threatening training exercises and humiliating pranks from older crew members. Sleeping on top of torpedoes and diving onto sharks are just a few of the astounding anecdotes he tells us, and boy, does he have a gift for telling. Speaking without pretension or bravado, he weaves a vivid picture of his life on board a nuclear sub - all 17 years of it. It's hard to imagine sacrificing your freedom like Eric has, travelling for three month stretches without reaching land and sleeping in tiny confines with several other men - it leaves no room for animosity or selfishness.
It is this sense of friendship and closeness that really strikes you in Eric's stories, his crew are like brothers and his best friend Dick, who 'could talk his way out of anything’, is his soulmate. As with any good raconteur, it's key that the audience likes you, and it's impossible not to warm to Eric who keeps checking whether we are too hot and blushes when a heartfelt comment about his ‘relationship with Dick’ is sniggered at. "Oh grow up!" he chides. He asks us if we have any questions: "Is that a perm?" asks one bold woman in the front row." "Erm no" says Eric, who clearly isn't used to being heckled. There are plenty of funny moments during the show but this is gentle comedy tinged with poignancy and dramatic tension. He keeps us on the edge of our seats right till the end, with a chilling account of how a well-intentioned attempt to cheer up his sick friend goes horribly wrong.
The show is just over an hour long and it has flown by. Whilst I may not be hurrying to work in a nuclear sub anytime soon, I leave endeavouring to be more adventurous and ultimately, have better anecdotes.
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