A chance meeting, an accident, a job offer, a split-second judgement – we make decisions every day that have the potential to change the course of our lives. In The Swell, which debuted at the UK’s Orange Tree Theatre in 2023, award-winning playwright Isley Lynn expertly navigates the audience through a queer love triangle spanning 30 years and the decisions that change three lives forever. It comes to Australia’s last remaining pub theatre at The Old Fitz courtesy of Akimbo + Co.
The play jumps between the past – where we see young Annie (Jessical Bell of The Wasp and Consent) introduce her new fiance Bel (Alexandra Keddie) to her childhood friend Flo (Monique Salle of The Lovers and The Deb) – and the present day, where the trio is played by Fiona Press, Katherine Hopwood Poulsen and Deborah Jones. Salle’s Flo is a dynamic, care-free surfer who has seen the world. Over time, she inspires the anxious and sheltered Bel to consider how she might live her life differently – this sets off a series of life-changing betrayals and secrets, which are slowly unveiled.
For the twist alone, this show is definitely worth your time!
Lynn’s script compassionately paints complex and flawed female characters across two different stages of life. These characters express layered experiences of love, joy, betrayal, pain, anxiety, embarrassment, and gracious acceptance – and this cast of actors give every moment its justice.
However, the audience’s ability to engage with these uninhibited and heightened moments is limited, due to several production choices. The barely-there set – which consists of a simple, wooden pier that protrudes from the right corner of the stage – makes for clunky direction that uses the stage poorly. In many of the most critical emotional scenes, actors are faced away from half the audience, or too far downstage to be seen well. The cast's ability to convey the show's core emotional notes in spite of this conveys volumes about their proficiency and skill.
It’s wonderful to see the Old Fitz Theatre bring stories like this to Australia, and The Swell is a great way to get into the Sydney Mardi Gras spirit. For the twist alone, this show is definitely worth your time!
The Swell is playing at the Old Fitz Theatre (downstairs at the Old Fitzroy Hotel), Woolloomooloo, until March 2, 2024. Tickets range from $35-$75 and you can snap them up over here.
