Lucinda the Cactus Girl is described as “an exploration of the absurd places our minds can take us” and it is certainly apparent from the very beginning that this show and its performers wear their Absurdist hearts firmly on their sleeves. 

As the audience enters we see someone (Doug Grant) scurrying around the space placing objects carefully and specifically in different places. It’s not clear at this point whether this is part of the show or a Stage Manager running late in getting the stage ready, and it doesn’t really matter. It keeps us entertained as we take in the vast and varied array of cacti (or cactus or cactuses, all of which are correct plurals as we find out later), which all display ‘Hello, my name is…’ labels. As I take in some of the names, and appreciate Grant’s awkward scurrying, he settles behind a table in the corner, starts to play music and the show proper begins.

The start of the show is a study in awkwardness, with Lizzie Morris as the eponymous Lucinda and Grant as Kurt sustaining their silent antics with aplomb. It is all facial expressions and audience provocations at this stage as we wait for someone to break the silence. Accompanied by Grant’s musical stylings, the audience giggles nervously, waiting for someone or something to break the characters’ silence, so I am personally a little disappointed that the dialogue is somewhat overshadowed by the music when this does finally happen, as it seems to undermine the moment we have been waiting for.

From here on in, we are taken on a journey through a number of different scenarios, some involving Lucinda and her friend? helper? companion? Kurt, some offering other recurring characters and some seemingly separate from the other sections.

As the show unfolds, it begins to feel like a series of sketches in search of a through line or theme, as I often struggle to find connections between the sections. Perhaps the unifying theme is that the creators find them meaningful and funny, but this is not always the case for me.

Some sections seem to be extended beyond the point at which the audience understands the point or appreciates the humour, and so I begin to wonder if there is also an Artaudian influence at work here, nudging the audience towards discomfort and experimenting with how long actions can be sustained before the audience begins (possibly subconsciously) willing them to stop. 

At this performance, I find some of the most joyful pieces of comedy come from unintentional events, such as the clothes hook that refuses to stay on the door. The performers handle moments like this well, with only some minor hints at corpsing, and the warmth in these moments is welcome. In fact, both performers show skill in their improvisation and their physicality, especially in sections such as the club, where the slow motion, grotesque movement in unison provokes a great audience response.

Some of the other sections use audience interaction effectively to create laughter, some use song to great effect (Morris has a fine voice and she displays it well here) and some sections use other devices, such as the ‘Enid Blyton’ story, which is very well-received. In fact this story comes closest to what I hoped I might find in a show that suggests it is an exploration of Lucinda’s inner life through her “273 Cacti”. The ‘Enid Blyton’ story has a level of pathos that isn’t reached anywhere else, and might be considered as a focal point for the intentions of the piece.

Otherwise, I struggle to identify the connections between the sections and, although I am aware that an Absurdist piece is likely to sacrifice character development, logic, action and hope in order to explore the nature of existence, I don’t feel that this piece offers the payoff I hope for in terms of an understanding the human soul or an opportunity to gaze into the existential abyss, or even a consistently light-hearted romp.

I am aware that the rest of the audience is laughing and seems to be enjoying the show, but I can’t help but feel that too many of the sections were perhaps considered good ideas at the start of the creative process, and so kept in their entirety, when much more careful editing might help them to truly succeed.

While it is heartening to see performers following their creative inspirations, and creating art, I feel this piece needs some significant revising in order to successfully combine its whimsy with a sense of fulfilment or satisfaction. 

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