The show takes place in three abandoned water sites of Mexico City: a marine animal park, a haunted fountain, and a bathhouse. The audience is shuttled from act-to-act in passvans to experience this one-time-only Drag King opera.
Act I. The marine animal tank is caked over in thick concrete embedded with brass. Surrounding the tank are nude drag kings wearing platinum wigs and matching tan lines whispering in the bleachers. Synchronized swimmers float to the surface of the water into kaleidoscopic shapes. Act 1 is a drawn-out tease, deep-diving into the suspense that everything is about to happen.
Act II. Above the fountain, a King, “The Soul,” performs a strip tease behind a latex screen by pressing their body against its surface. Reminiscent of haunted house walls, the movements titillate and terrify. "The Soul," a shimmering ethereal body, emerges from behind the screen and performs a burlesque dance using a masculine, monolithic vocabulary.
Act III. In the steamy bathhouse, a raucous brass band serenades. A throne constructed of a cherry picker with a suspended marble diving board rises in the center of the room. An extravagant King descends from the towering throne, emitting agonizing wails.
The final act of Ship’s Mercy is an attempt to suspend the fleeting moment of a climax. Imagine arriving to a standing ovation but all you see is the curtain falling and experiencing that sensation over and over.