12.98°C Winner of the Keep Colchester Cool Critic’s Award
I moved to Colchester in the 1990s and was totally unaware that, in the 1980s, three orcas were kept in a swimming pool on Clacton Pier. It still sounds bizarre, and it’s no wonder one of the magnificent creatures did not live for long – in fact, they became the Clacton One far too quickly.
Sarah Baxter’s excellent script weaves the tale of three young people: Davey and his sister Mandy, and their friend Shantz, who works in the aquarium and feels for Ernie, the surviving orca, wanting desperately to rescue him. They are trapped in the goldfish bowl of their town. Although Davey has gained a place at Oxford, his intelligence is tempered by his background: his father is in jail, and the family faces threats from his gangster associates. Their mum has MS, and Shantz lives with her abusive police officer father, while the empathy they all feel for the orcas is beautifully drawn.
The cast are excellent. George Penny captures the growing desperation of Davey, needing to impress Shantz, and the love he feels for her pushes him to reckless acts. Shania-Grace Thompson also portrays despair with great sensitivity, her intelligence and streetwise attitude central to the story, while Alice Molnar is superb as Shantz – vulnerable yet feisty, always on the border of breaking free. Jonathan Tann is perfect as aquarium manager Stan, the butt of their jokes, but quietly caring and compassionate.
Richard Bland’s direction is inventive and confident. The beautiful movement work reflects the orcas’ grace, while an excellent soundscape takes us underwater, slows down pace and time, and opens out to the wider world of Clacton. If at times the text feels a little issue-heavy, with too many social problems in the mix, Baxter still builds to a moving conclusion, and the atmosphere is captured perfectly. The piece is refined and heartfelt, fitting its 60-minute running time beautifully.
My colleague Tim Young and I were proud to award it our Critic’s Choice.
Review by Paul T. Davies, Theatre Editor, Keep Colchester Cool
