Is it too early for productions about covid? Not with ‘On Track’ a poignant and relatable production by RedCape Theatre and South Street Arts. Catherine Dyson’s play focuses on the escape we all tried to find through lockdown while reminding us of the few positives to come from that time.
Kit, cleverly performed by Pip Hambly, a powerful single mother of two seeks to keep control and protect her two daughters through the pandemic. Successful for the first few weeks but then the world around her continues to shrink, and she needs an escape. However, like many, she tries to find sanctuary in a quiet corner of her home, originally her bathroom, attemping to hide longer each 1me. Then she is inspired to remember an old bicycle in her garage, and this begins a new obsession, spending more 1me in her elaborate imaginary cycle journeys than in the real world which is slowly deteriorating around her. Like many, there is a moment in lockdown that sharply brings her back to reality.
The production has two focuses, Lockdown and Cycling depending on your interests will depend on your connection to the piece. If you are a cycling enthusiast there is a deepened resonance to the piece, especially if you are female-iden1fying. The produc1on highlights the challenges faced by female cyclists in the modern day back to the Victorian period. Oppositely if you do not cycle you will s1ll relate to the piece strongly, we all yearned for escape and freedom from the confinement of our homes during the lockdown, and Kit’s new hobby for cycling can be replaced with any impulsive Amazon splurged new interest.
RedCape’s directorial team and set designer cleverly transform the black-box space into a home. Welcomed into Kit’s family home, represented by a small scaffolding pole frame, we feel the deep love between Kit’s Girls. The intricate and playful use of household items expands the space beyond the small frame, offering a socially distanced hug to its audience. A brilliant stand-out use of the two pairs of shoes brings to life the characters of Kit’s daughters, at 1mes even feeling that there were three actors on stage. A smart use of technical design and execu1on brings to life the character of the bike, ligh1ng design allows the bike to be transformed into a mountain and the sound design takes the bike on its vast journeys while it remains sta1onary. All these small theatrical devices perfectly allow us to relate to those shared experiences of lockdown.
Overall, On track attracts two types of audiences but builds one community out of them whilst watching. An enjoyable watch that allows you to just enjoy being in the theatre. A piece of Covid theatre that we did not know we needed. It certainly is a produc1on that is on the right track when it comes to making theatre about the lockdown period.
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