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ED2015 4/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews
Swallow (Traverse Theatre Company)
By Rebecca Jacobson | Published on Saturday 29 August 2015
Young Scottish playwright Stef Smith knows how to bring beauty to the breakdown. Her new play, the piercing, elegantly off-kilter ‘Swallow,’ introduces us to a trio of women. Anna (Emily Wachter) is smashing up her flat – mirrors, phone, floorboards – and gluing together the shards with pesto. Rebecca (Anita Vettesse) is rudderless after a bad breakup. And Samantha (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) is binding her chest with gaffer tape and testing the waters as Sam. As their stories intersect, the simplest lines stand out more than the occasionally strained metaphors. “It’s not a lie”, says Anna, “just a past-tense truth”. Orla O’Loughlin directs with sensitivity and grace – even if things get a little cute at the end – trusting the three remarkable performers to fuel the show.
Traverse Theatre, until 30 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Rebecca Jacobson]
