20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

John Godber has never been shy about bringing extreme sports to the stage. In the past he's found means to dramatise rugby, judo, all-in wrestling and skiing – now he takes the unexpected plunge into a musical about deep-sea diving. Godber deserves credit for breaking the mould, but not only is Jules Verne's aquatic adventure possibly the last work you'd think of him adapting, he does so in the style you would least expect. Before he took to science fiction, Verne provided librettos for Parisian operetta, and Pip Leckenby's design has a velvet-swagged, vaudevillian look. Yet the story comes swathed in the synthetic textures of Stuart Briner's arrangements, mostly prompted by Godber's decision to make Professor Aronnax's manservant a woman to supply the romantic interest that Verne neglected to include. Verne's fantasy has darkly prophetic undertones: not least the creation of Captain Nemo as a form of motiveless, ocean-dwelling, international terrorist. But that is slightly undermined by William Ilkley's grand guignol performance and the fact that his appearances are accompanied by a burst of organ music to signify that he's a maniac. Godber is steeped in the techniques of European expressionist theatre, yet the big surprise is how literal his vision becomes. Staging a giant squid attack is, admittedly, a challenge, but you might expect to see something more imaginative than screaming actors dragged off by a rubber tentacle. Then again, considering what has preceded it, it's probably an appropriate way to go.