By Lisa Clark
If youāve ever dreamed of running away to sea ala The Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet of Our Flag Means Death, or Elizabeth Swann of Pirates of the Caribbean, Dom McCusker is proof that you can find a jolly life working on the sea, while also keeping people laughing and singing.
Dom is a very different kind of Musical comedian. She found her way to the sea via singing sea shanties which led to working as a comedy sailor on tourist boats to party boat tours and working on the tall wooden ships such as replicas of historical ships like The Endeavor. Dom has hosted teenagers in need, Grand Prix fans celebrating a car race on a boat and the ubiquitous ābooze cruiseā drunken work parties. In between singing very silly sea shanties with us Dom has many amusing tales and anecdotes to regale us with. Dom has an interesting background and has seen some things!
She tells us sailorās secrets like flag lore and their own sailing language, very important when the crew you board with is always different, from all walks of life with varied skills and experience. Luckily they have shared language and of course a passion for sailing. They bond working together under diversity,Ā the shared love of sailing, hard work, and seasickness, then before you know it, you have found a new family.
Be Gae Do Crime is a delightfully jaunty show thatās about 60% original funny sea shanties written by Dom and the audience is encouraged to join in, but it is very voluntary. If you donāt want to sing, you can clap or tap a foot, or not. It is hard to resist though, as they are utterly delightful. My only advice to Dom is that she needs a bigger flip chart or screen to present the singalong lyrics. The lyrics can be more complex than you expect and they are hand written in cursive on a small sheet of paper ā hardly visible from the second row, let alone the back of the room. Still, the audience only joins in on the chorus and you can gradually pick it up.
Dom performs shanties and comedy for her day job on boats and she was a 2024 Victorian RAW State Finalist, so although this is her festival debut, she is confident, charming and entertaining, keeping audiences laughing both at sea and on shore
Dom McCusker performs Be Gae Do CrimeĀ at Storyville until April 6
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/be-gae-do-crime/