Cold as hell? I'm there.

It's been a while since I've done any theatre writing because, frankly, it's been a pretty slow period, even for the summer. There is, however, one quiet little show I caught Saturday night that merits a brief mention.

"Tom Crean: Antarctic Explorer," now playing at the Irish Repertory Theatre isn't a master class in acting like "The Year of Magical Thinking," nor does it provoke any sort of self-examination like "The Fever." So why is it thoroughly more entertaining than either of those shows, both of which I ultimately liked? Why is it that even though Crean was a good 30 minutes longer (with one well-placed intermission) than either of those shows, my mind didn't wander once, liked it admittedly did during the two others?

Because, although solo star and scribe Aidan Dooley doesn't wield the acting prowess of a Vanessa Redgrave or the writing prowess of a Wallace Shawn, he has found darn good story to tell and does a darn good job of telling it. What Crean went through during his three Antarctic explorations is nothing short of superhuman survival. Sure, the writing feels a little lecture hall at times, but Dooley's convivial delivery style overcomes it.

What really won me over, however, is it proves that a good-for-the-whole-family show doesn't have to be insipid (hear that, Disney?). A kid of about 10 or 11 sat next to me and didn't say one word or squirm during the entire show. He did give me material for my first ever submission for "Overheard in New York" before the show, but that's another story.