Swim
The Sensation of Water
Swim
by Liz Richardson
TBTL and Liz Richardson Productions, in Association with imPOSSIBLE Producing at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham, until 18th March, then on tour until 24th June
Review by Raymond Wheatan
Swim was written by the actor and theatre-maker Liz Richardson during lockdown, and premiered in 2022 at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake in the Lake District where Richardson was raised and swam as a child.
After working in Manchester and London Liz Richardson relocated to the Peak District, a move that, together with certain real events, inspired her to write Swim, first for a cast of three and now revised and re-written as a one woman show, under the direction of Andy Routledge.
The sensation of water
Liz Richardson
flowing around my body
happily floating down a river,
watching the banks pass me by.
I like to take the same
journey as a river
it’s the lack of control
which feels so good,
it’s good to leave my
life alone for a while.
It is a stunning piece of storytelling about the whys of wild swimming, friendship and the acceptance of change, in many forms. Richardson’s energetic and engaging performance is accompanied by projections and an ethereal live score, performed and sung by the composer and multi-instrumentalist Carmel Smickersgill. The resulting blend of music, words and video creates an exhilarating sense of immersion, only slightly undermined by the size of the venue.
Raymond Wheatan, March 2023
Photography by Chris Payne
Mark Aspen 