Fringeist: Ocean Isn't That Deep

The Depth of the Ocean is a site-specific Fringe show with a fabulous concept. Audience members are seated in the bleachers of the Benson pool at UofT's Athletics Centre and the actors emerge from the water, drawn to a single lifeboat anchored in the centre of the pool. A play in a pool is rare and exciting, as is the concept of actors who deliver their lines while swimming. If only the script were as exciting as the concept.

The play tells the story of five disaster survivors who all mysteriously find themselves on the same lifeboat, despite their accidents occurring continents (and perhaps decades) apart. The oddly-matched group bicker and hug and sometimes throw each other into the water and the story plays out rather like an old episode of The Twilight Zone. Not a terrible episode of The Twilight Zone, but certainly not the best either. The characters argue cyclically, and the ending just doesn't seem particularly well thought out. Still, how often do you get to see a play in a pool? That's the question this show's success is relying on.