swallow by lydia luke – ★★★★☆
With nothing but a twin bed, and a room full of eager eyes and ears, lydia luke tells a story about love. Not the kind of love that makes it, or the kind of love that you'll tell your children about one day. Not a big love: situationship love. swallow follows Natalie and Aaron, two twenty-something year olds navigating the awkward in-between space of being deeply in love and commitment.
This is the third iteration of the story, following scratch nights, rehearsed readings and different casts taking on the story. In Canary Wharf Theatre, as part of the Peckham Fringe Festival it is Xanthus and Mohammed Mansaray's turn to take on the play's characters Natalie and Aaron respectively.
Natalie and Aaron exude the same energy, in slightly different fonts. Natalie is a fireball, she's quirky and emotional but sensitive and brash. Aaron is similar, dynamic and enthusiastic but with more control. They compliment each other perfectly. Aaron is never thrown by Natalie's chaotic nature, and Natalie is charmed by Aaron. Xanthus and Mansaray flow effortlessly together, making us believe in the characters' romance. Their intimate scenes are tender, sensual and romantic. In a Q&A with the writer and cast after the show, they spoke highly of the intimacy co-ordinator/movememt director Rochea Dyer who facilitated the scenes and it felt clear that these scenes were intentionally and delicately choreographed.
You can see why Natalie falls in love with Aaron, he is a catalyst and vehicle for her emotions rather than a mirror, or reactor. These are beautiful scenes to behold, but Aaron brings us all back to reality when he highlights that he and Natalie are not actually in a relationship. A small fracture eventually breaks their undefined bond and what becomes their downfall is a mixture of poor communication, previous trauma, unmet expectations and desires, and a general angst that luke notes is prevalent in to black british dating and commitment.
luke's dialogue is authentic, and merges poetry and realness to keep us in a familiar space. With minimal lighting and staging the words of her story hang in the air, and are bolstered by the raw emotions both actors give to each other and the audience. She gives grace to both characters, making neither one the hero or villain and particularly highlighting the trauma that Aaron deals with, and the way this blocks his ability to commit.
The play asks hard questions. If love ends, or fails, does that mean it wasn't real? Does it end at all? If two people spend enough time together, doing relationship things and feeling relationship feelings but never transitioning into the full title, then what were they doing the whole time?
We don't get these answers from Natalie or Aaron, and there is certainly a desire for more of them, and more of their world. swallow had the audience gasping, giggling and kicking their feet throughout.
I am curious to see what another production of this play will bring, and hope we get to see this soon.
★★★★☆
By Melody Adebisi