By Bruce Chadwick
originally published: 07/25/2023

(left to right) Jabari Carter, Paul Henry, Aurea Tomeski, and Bruce Cromer. Photo by Sarah Haley

Have you read or seen any of the Robinson Crusoe stories? The Tom Hanks movie Cast Away? Any other shipwrecked movies, novels or plays?

Here is another one – the play Shipwrecked! An Entertainment – The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as told by himself), by Donald Margulies, that is now playing at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s outdoor stage on the campus of St. Elizabeth’s College, off route 24, in Convent Station through July 30, 2023.

Hmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnn………

This is a wild, wild tale. The story is simple and quite believable. A 16-year-old British lad, eager for new adventures, in the late 1800s, gets on a large ship headed for the South Pacific. It sails into a storm, and he is shipwrecked. Tragic.

What follows is a strange series of adventures with Louis, who wrote the play, as the centerpiece of the activity. He is, he says, shipwrecked on an island inhabited by nobody for years, ranging from three to 30, depending on when he tells the story. What to do? I mean – no television and no computer. His only companion is a big dog (er, he’s a seemingly seven foot plus tall dog played by a man. The dog could play in the NBA. They become great friends, but Louis has no human companion.

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Hold on. All of a sudden, a gorgeous native woman appears with her father. They had accidentally sailed to the island. Louis befriends them (teaches them how to speak English in 45 seconds) and falls in love with the native girl. They sail back to their island. The plot thickens here. The tribe needs a warrior king because another tribe on another island is at war with them. They pick Louis, who, of course, knows nothing about fighting a war, especially in the South Pacific. No British fleet here. The guys might as well have selected Laurel and Hardy as their Generals. The girl and her father convince Louis to get back home on a new ship, and off they go. When he gets home, after all these years away, all hell breaks loose. Was his story a series of real, harrrowing events, or did he make up the whole yarn after too many beers in the local pub?

Bruce Cromer, photo by Sarah Haley

There are a lot of good things to say about Shipwrecked. First, and foremost, the star of the play, Bruce Cromer, is absolutely wonderful as Louis. He plays him from 16 to, oh, 70 and is full of boundless energy, you are on a journey with him, happy when he is happy and scared when he is scared. Perfect actor. In a great role. With him, playing different roles, are Aurea Tomeski as the native girl and several other women in the story, Jabari Carter and Paul Henry. They hold your attention. The play is nicely directed by Doug West.

The set design is by Steven Beckel, Bonnie J. Monte and Doug West. Costumes are by Patrice Trower. Lighting is by Tony Galaska,  Sound is by Steven Beckel.

The play has its problems, though. First – where is the shipwrecked ship? The Convent Station outdoor theater has a pretty big stage, and the company could have built some kind of ship. The make believe ship, a few big pieces of lumber does not work at all. Louis might as well has been sailing through the Pacific in a bathtub.

Second, the 7 foot tall dog really annoyed me. Come on. What kind of dog is this big? The dog could, in fact, have been a star in the NBA. Get Lassie!

Third. The tribesmen pick Louis to be their warrior king in their war? This guy could barely get coconuts off trees and he’s going to be the new Napoleon? Ridiculous.

(left to right) Jabari Carter, Bruce Cromer, and Aurea Tomeski. Photo by Sarah Haley

Having voiced these complaints, I must say that the story itself is a whale of a tale – if true. Or did Louis make up the whole thing? You don’t find out until the end of the story. Or do you?

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All I know is that if I was going to be shipwrecked with someone on a South Pacific Island, it would not be Louis. Give me a cop, a fireman, a construction worker, an Olympic woman’s skater, but not this bungler.

‘Shipwrecked  2’ – Me !

Louis de Rougemont thinks he has problems? What about me?

I was supposed to see this play last weekend, but, as you know, the state was hit with a rainstorm that would have challenged Noah. The play was cancelled. On Sunday, when I did see the play, the temperature was, what, 345 degrees? I roasted at the outdoor theater. Then, walking to my car in the parking lot, I tripped and fell, my body turning over and over and over. I felt like I had gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali. This morning I woke up and I am sore everywhere. Other audience members and the theater staff were most helpful, though.

I’d trade places with dear old shipwrecked Louis any day!

Paul Henry and Aurea Tomeski. Photo by Sarah Haley

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Bruce Chadwick worked for 23 years as an entertainment writer/critic for the New York Daily News. Later, he served as the arts and entertainment critic for the History News Network, a national online weekly magazine. Chadwick holds a Ph. D in History and Cultural Studies from Rutgers University. He has written 31 books on U.S. history and has lectured on history and culture around the world. He is a history professor at New Jersey City University.

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