Ride crest of a wave with a tale of adventure at sea - fabulous Whitby Rebels is on at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre

The cast of The Whitby Rebels from left, Duncan MacInnes, Kieran Foster, Jacqueline King, Jacqueline Naylor and, top, Keith Bartlett (Credit: Tony Bartholomew)The cast of The Whitby Rebels from left, Duncan MacInnes, Kieran Foster, Jacqueline King, Jacqueline Naylor and, top, Keith Bartlett (Credit: Tony Bartholomew)
The cast of The Whitby Rebels from left, Duncan MacInnes, Kieran Foster, Jacqueline King, Jacqueline Naylor and, top, Keith Bartlett (Credit: Tony Bartholomew)
Audiences sail into choppy waters in The Whitby Rebels – the story of one man’s quest to sail from the ‘goth capital’ of the UK to the Arctic.

The mission of Captain Jack Lammiman is to erect a plaque honouring Whitby whaling captain, adventurer and scientist William Scoresby senior on Jan Mayen, a volcanic island hundreds of miles north of Iceland.

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He assembles a crew of misfits – local vicar Robert, posh pensioner Pat, dotty OAP Edna and secretive Scouser Lewis – who are to sailing what Paul Merson is to the samba.

Against Department of Trade orders and breaking every law of the sea – Lammiman, more used to sailing a pleasure boat round Whitby Harbour – launches the Helga Maria, chased by the British Navy.

There can be no spoilers because The Whitby Rebels is based on a true story – despite all the odds their mission is accomplished.

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What a salty seadog’s tale writer Bea Roberts has weaved for the play’s premiere at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

There are thrills, spills, storms, men overboard, rows, tantrums, tears, desperation and determination as captain and crew adjust to the isolation of the ocean – and the claustrophobia of living on a ship with people you hardly know.

Supplies run low and emotions run high the further the ship moves towards its destination – tugging an enthralled audience happily in its wake.

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Captain of the crew is Keith Bartlett – every inch like Captain Birdseye as Jack and ship mates are Duncan McInnes as the naive, earnest vicar Robert, Jacqueline King as posh Pat from down south, Jacqueline Naylor as dotty Edna and Kieran Foster as the earthy, dodgy Lewis.

They are all lovable rogues.

Showing her acting chops and completing the cast is Louise Mai Newberry who plays multiple roles – from the deadly serious Department of Transport inspector to a devil-may-care life-and- soul-of-the-party caravan park manager. She is wonderful.

Artistic director of the theatre Paul Robinson is the helmsman and wrings every ounce of heart and humour from the proceedings – with a play that taps into the local conscience.

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Mention for the set – the recreation of the boat is magnificent.

Enjoyable as the voyage is, it is not a jolly jape played out to Rolling Along on the Crest of a Wave. Though there are sea shanties

It is a play about self-discovery – each of the characters goes on a voyage and finds out not just about each other but about themselves – what they can endure, what motivates them and their breaking point.

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One of the saddest moments is when Jack realises it is more about the journey than the conclusion – as the author of Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson said: “To travel hopefully is better than to arrive.”

It is also about the nature of friendship and survival.

The seas get choppy when the audience is asked to consider whether the captain and his crew are eccentric rebels seizing the day and thumbing their noses and bureaucrats’ petty rules about the size of a ship’s bell and number of fire buckets – or are they reckless renegades putting not only their own lives at risks but those of others trying to keep them safe?

The play leaves it up to you to debate and decide which and whose side you are on.

The Whitby Rebels runs at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until Saturday November 2.

Tickets: on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com

Sue Wilkinson