Chillin' With Tom Crean, The Antarctic Explorer

Dooley's Performance Transports Us Back To The Age Of Exploration

By John Mooney

Just as the humid weather of the summer arrives, TOM CREAN - ARCTIC EXPLORER, a one-man show written and performed by Aidan Dooley at the Irish Repertory Theatre, should become one of the hottest tickets in town.

Aidan Dooley takes the audience through peaks and valleys of emotions as steep as the Antarctic glaciers themselves. The barebones staging and the actor's drab layered clothing (credited to Burberry, the upscale clothier) convey the starkness of polar exploration, which became a rage during the early years of the 20th century. The play is a frequently humorous recounting of the trials and tragedies of Tom Crean, a three-time traveler to the planet's most remote continent, and one of Ireland's unsung heroes.

Brought to life in the actor's dramatic and engaging solo performance, Crean was one of the few men to serve with both Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton and survive three legendary expeditions: Discovery (1901-1904), Terra Nova (1910-1913), and Endurance (1914-1916).

Dooley rivets the crowd during the first act of his performance as he details preparation and travel across Antarctica with 400-lb. sledges. ("Hauling and dragging, Hauling and dragging!") The actor conveys the fear of flying across crevices at 60 miles per hour into a foggy abyss and an uncertainly ending. He is equally effective in recreating Crean's 18-hour, 36-mile solitary trek across the frozen continent during the Terra Nova expedition to rescue his comrades. The journey, described as "the finest feat of individual heroism in the entire Age of Exploration," earned the Irishman the Albert Medal for bravery from the King of England.

In the second act, Dooley describes vividly how ice floes crushed Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, and the pain of getting rid of "excess baggage" (four puppies and a mischievous cat) that would slow progress across the frozen sea. The script, which took two years to write, vividly paints a snowy white picture of the frozen Antarctic and provides humorous insight into the men who voyaged to "The Last Place on Earth." The minimal set was appropriate, given the subject matter. While a visual of Antarctica or the sinking Endurance would have added to the experience, Dooley's dialogue paints a magnificent picture.

The Galway-born Dooley has great stage presence and a wry Irish grin. He slyly interacts with the audience and twice overcame the annoyance of a loud cell phone ringing during the first act. (Note to whomever did not heed the request to shut off your cell phone: you disrupted a fine actor and annoyed all of your fellow audience members.) Dooley performs the two hours worth of monologue without ever missing a beat. He is as captivating as the 800 mile journey across the roughest ocean on the planet in a 22-foot lifeboat.

The two-hour show has toured Ireland and other countries, playing to capacity audiences. Dooley won the Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was the Best Solo Performance Award Winner at the New York International Fringe Festival 2003. The actor trained at Guilford School of Acting in London, where he has appeared in PHILADELPHIA HERE I COME, ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, and DA.

Performances of TOM CREAN - ARCTIC EXPLORER are Tuesday - Saturday at 8:00 PM and will run through July 8, 2007. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $60 and $55 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Rep's Box Office at (212) 727-2737. For more information, visit irishrep.org