Theatre / “Legacies”, by Rachel Pengilly. At The Q, August 2. Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.

IN 1868, on the Scottish island of Arran, six boys sneak onboard a ship as stowaways.

Based on a true story and the discovery that she is a descendant of one of these boys, Rachel Pengilly has written and directed her version of “Legacies”.

The stowaways, the youngest at only 11 years old, were in search of adventure, an experience on the open seas, intrigued by fanciful stories of the terrifying cuttlefish or desperate to escape the violence being suffered at home. A couple of the lads reluctantly tag along with their enthusiastic friends, in the name of mateship. 

The ship on which the boys end up is overseen by the empathetic but gutless Captain Watts (Tom Cullen) and the brutal hand of Kerr (Christopher Carroll).

The set is impressive, with a multi-level desk and ship sails rigged up. There is an additional sail that appears where quotes are projected on a couple of occasions, there is shadow-acting of story-telling and an ensemble of people to aid with depictions of characters falling into the sea.

Throughout the performance, a plethora of tactics and props are employed to portray travel and movement. It’s pleasingly creative but with so much going on, it almost becomes a character, at times becoming the focus. Lanterns, side-lighting and purpley-blue light set the scene of a dimly-lit ship and the moonlight. 

Shannon Parnell has composed the soundtrack and sound design, subtly punctuating the play with flute music, a lullaby, song and poignant, classical music, appropriate to the story setting, that swells and adds emotionally to the heartbreaking choices of the boys and the fall-out for the mothers waiting back home for news of the fate of their sons.

With stowaways becoming a problem for rations and a nuisance for Kerr, the decision to send the boys out onto the frozen water towards a small town that may or may not be reachable changes the legacy of each character. Crucial to the ending are the actions of Catherine Ann Gillis-MacInnis.

Tom Bryson as James, Joshua James as John Paul and Jack Morton as David attempt to lead the stowaways back to safety and the cast delivers strong and consistently good performances, with an impressive rendition of Scottish accents. So much so that a few lines were lost to them here and there.  

An ending that has a distinctive modern edge with its language, explanation and photo montage emphasises the points Pengilly wishes to make with this play.

The choices, decisions, impulses, brutality and kindness can all change the course of generations, the theme at the crux of “Legacies”.

The ties of friendship, guilt, luck and the youthful dream of adventure unfold in “Legacies” and the incredible story of the Arran stowaways.