Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond – until 29th July 2023
Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton
5*****
The Swell is an absolutely brilliant play, portraying the complicated lives of three women, showing their lives in two different moments in time, twenty years apart. At the start of the play, we are introduced to Annie (Saroja-Lily Ratnavel) and Bel (Ruby Crepin-Glyne), who are happily engaged and counting down the days until their wedding. That is until Annies old friend, energetic and chaotic Flo (Jessica Clark) turns up, promising to stay for a year until the wedding. This surprise arrival creates a complicated love triangle, and soon Annie sees her happily ever after slipping away from her. This causes a tense and angry exchange between the engaged couple, which ends with a dramatic argument, which has a lifelong effect on Bel.
We see twenty years later, and we see Bel (Sophie Ward) living with her wife (Shuna Snow), seemingly happy, although clearly still living with the effects of having a stroke. Throughout the play we are given tiny pieces of information about what happened twenty years ago, and how that has affected their lives. Just as you think you know the full story, though, a huge, unexpected, and shocking twist is thrown into the mix, leaving the audience reeling and questioning everything that they have believed so far. This scene is performed flawlessly, as we see the older Bel and Annie mirrored by their past selves, showing exactly what happened all those years ago, as Annie finally admits, to Flo, what she did. The performances by Sophie Ward, Viss Elliot Safavi, and Shuna Snow as the older versions of the three girls are marvellous.
This play, phenomenally written by Isley Lynn, is a masterpiece, and the pairs of actresses who play each character work brilliantly together. I also enjoyed the lovely singing by each actress during the scene transitions, as their voices harmonised beautifully.