Tom Armstrong undergoes a voyage of sexual
awareness as a boy rating on a cruise ship
in 1955. He is a naïve teenage boy
from the country who has to adapt quickly
to the culture of the ship, where, although
illegal at the time, homosexuality amongst
the crew was a fact of life.
Befriended by two other young stewards,
he learns how to cope with waiting at tables
and how to co-exist with the crew. When
his immature love for a rich American female
passenger is rejected, it leaves him vulnerable
to the advances of Mick who tries to persuade
him that his sexual orientation should be
towards men.
The play climaxes with the (unseen)
rape of Tom by Mick, who, once this is revealed,
is rejected by his homosexual lover, Kane.
Whilst the rest of crew generally tolerate
the ‘queers’ on board, they
decide that Mick has gone too far and enact
their own form of retribution.
The play is based on real events, and is
a fascinating glimpse at the social morés
in place at the time. |
