Messing about on the river. Minty Donald urges theatre-lovers not to miss a very special boat

FOR a city so welded to her maritime heritage, the lack of any significant nautical presence on the Clyde seems like a glaring, and sorry, omission. It's an absence made all the more obvious by the visit to Glasgow of the Fitzcarraldo, Britain's only touring theatre ship and home of water-based events and performance company, Walk the Plank. Sitting on the sunny deck of the ex-Norwegian ferry, with the Finnieston Crane looming overhead, two things are striking: the desertedness of the Clyde and the sheer pleasure of actually being on the water.

Liz Pugh, co-director of Salford-based Walk the Plank, agrees. ''This is our third visit to Scotland, but our first to Glasgow,'' she explains. ''It was a fantastic journey sailing up from the estuary into the city. The river has so much potential.''

Elsewhere in Britain, the Fitzcarraldo has played her part in the rejuvenation of the country's waterways and coastline. Aside from harbouring a cosy 140-seater theatre in her hold, the ship frequently stars in spectacularly theatrical waterborne shows, using pyrotechnics, performers, water jets, searchlights, music, large-scale animation and all manner of other tricks, in events specifically tailored for festivals all around Ireland and the British Isles. The unique appeal of a floating arts venue both highlights the cultural potential of Britain-as-an-island and entices new audiences to experience live theatre.

There's certainly something tantalising about the arrival of a cargo-laden ship. Particularly so when that cargo promises shows, art, entertainment . . . and who know's what else? The ship's appearance holds the prospect of adventure, excitement, and just a whiff of faraway places (well Salford, anyway!)

As Pugh puts it: ''You buy a ticket, climb the gang plank, and leave land. You're giving us permission to take you on a voyage - even if we never leave the berth!''

This year's tour, a revival of Andy Farrell's acclaimed adaptation of Gulliver's Travels (co-produced with Manchester's Contact Theatre) take the form, very literally, of a voyage. It's a journey, though, which exercises the imagination rather than the body. Designed by Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour, Gulliver's travels are acted out in the intimate space of the ship's-hold-cum-theatre. Three actors, a stage manager, an assortment of objects from some strange, dusty cabinet of curiosities and the miniature population of Lilliput bring to life Swift's robust satire. Director Tony Lidington explains: ''It's a family show, with a real passion for nonsense - but it's definitely not twee. It looks at the whole debate between creativity and imagination on one hand, and a rational, scientific approach on the other. I think it's very relevant today - these two

sides seem to be merging at

the moment.''

The timely revival of Gulliver (given the huge popularity of Shock Headed Peter's similarly low-tech, visually-inventive brand of theatre) was something of a last minute decision, though. Just five weeks before rehearsals were due to begin, Boilerhouse, co-producers of the originally planned new show (to be directed by the Edinburgh-based company's Paul Pinson) pulled out. ''Let's just say that we were let down,'' Pugh, who is currently seeking legal advice, comments.

If Gulliver's travels are also The Fitzcarraldo's last, then the peculiar, magical qualities of a theatre space freed from the conventions and traditional foundations of building-based venues - a kind of aquatic equivalent of the Big Top - will be sadly lost. Don't miss this very special boat.

n The ship's residency in

Glasgow has been supported by Glasgow City Council and Clydeport Ltd.