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| Curtis Cole as Leo and Cristina Catalina as Elka in Quicksand |
Produced by The Dukes and Theatre by the Lake, written by Zosia Wand and directed by Joe Sumsion, Quicksand is the story of blood-ties and non-blood ties, and of events which challenge this simple categorisation.
It tells the story of Renata (Sarah Parks) and Ula (Eithne Browne) who emigrated to Ulverston in Cumbria from Poland many years ago. With Ula’s emotional and practical support, the strong but dominating (and damaged) Renata makes a reasonable living with which she supports herself and her son Leo (Curtis Cole) through ‘helping’ more recent emigres with accommodation and work.
But Ulverston is on Morecambe Bay, famous for its quicksands and, as we know, the site of the tragedy of the Chinese cockle-pickers, whose living conditions were not so far removed from those of Renata’s own tenants.
Enter Elka (Cristina Catalina), fresh to Ulverston from a comfortable life in modern Poland. Why? When Elka meets and is attracted to Leo, he tells her he is called Daniel and disguises the fact that his mother owns the cramped and over-populated house Elka has found herself in.
The audience can enjoy this dramatic irony for a while, but the secret is quickly exposed – to reveal a more shocking, and complicating development (but one which this reviewer at least had not guessed). But that’s not the end – Wand takes her characters for a final picnic up Hoad Hill, which allows a sort of shared resolution. The optimism is vodka-fuelled, however, and we know this means it is also fragile.
The metaphor of the threatening quicksands works well, and the scenes on the sand with Elka and Leo provide a continual sense of menace as well as beauty. All credit goes to Jonny Hate for his choreography here (but do check out the photography in the programme t00).
Zosia Wand’s script is impressive. With the exception of Elka’s stereotypical ‘foreigner talk’ – an irritating dropping of English articles and errors of tense and number which jar with her fluency – the dialogue is gripping, and moves the production on. The characterisation of Ula, Elka, Leo and Renata is thoroughly nuanced and there is no reliance on stereotyping.
All four characters are well cast and the acting is excellent, in particular for their consistency of accent (Sarah Parks certainly sounded Eastern European to me) and facial expression, so important when audience and actors share the same small space, as in ‘The Round’. Cristina Catalina, in particular gave a superbly ‘natural’ performance.
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| Curtis Cole as Leo and Cristina Catalina as Elka in Quicksand |
There is a lot more that could be said about this play and this production: for example, Eithne Browne’s interpretation of Ula the peacemaker, the use of song, and the way Curtis Cole treats Leo’s discovery of who his new-found love really is, but it’s probably best just to recommend that you purchase a ticket. As the blurb says, this is ‘not a typical love story’, and it’s also a rather unusual play, but it certainly meets the high standard of theatre we expect from a production at The Dukes.
Remaining performances
Quicksand runs until 12th February before transferring to Theatre by the Lake at Keswick. (not Sundays or Mondays), 7. 30 p.m.
Matinees
Wednesday 2nd February, 10.30 a.m.
Saturday 5th February, 2 p.m.
Saturday 12th February, 2 p.m. (BSL interpretation)
Post-show talk-back
Tuesday 1st February
Audio-described performance
Tuesday 8th February
Tickets
£7.50 – £16.00 ( + £5.00 standing)
Box office 01524 598500
The Dukes
Moor Lane
Lancaster LA1 1QE