What I liked
I really liked the show’s emotional maturity and weight, and how Heather used humor to balance both. Quicksand addresses heavy material, but Heather never made the material feel insurmountable or hopeless. She clearly loved her her Dad, and it shows, while also being aware of the personal costs she incurred to show that love. I also liked that she touched on the disconnect that often exists between where we are in life vs. where we thought we’d be. I can relate to that, and I liked the authenticity and the care with which she addressed that disconnect in her own life.
What I didn't like
The sound effects person and the slide show operator were a bit late several times when compared to Heather’s dialogue…so those technical aspects could be tightened up. I also thought the puppet which represented her Dad was a bit cartoony. But I also respect that making the puppet not look particularly human-like also might have provided Heather with the emotional distance she needed to perform that portion of her show.
My overall impression
Quicksand is an emotionally mature solo-show that respectfully, lovingly, and even humorously addresses several subjects which are unfortunately taboo in today’s society: caring for ailing loved ones, the personal and career sacrifices that one makes to provide that care, and the shame of feeling like you didn’t live up to your own career expectations. Heather Fink approaches these subjects through the lens of her own experience helping her mother care for her father after his stroke, balancing care giving against her own career as sound crew on films and TV, and then weighing her own career accomplishments against those belonging to people who came up with her. Heather’s show deftly invites the audience to consider what it means to love, to sacrifice, and then to weigh the cost doing both.
