Traverse - Swallow - Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic

Traverse Theatre Company: Swallow

Traverse - Swallow - Photo by Mihaela BodlovicThree bright white slabs hover above a pitch black floor – isolated, yet full of potential. Fred Meller’s stark design beautifully compliments Stef Smith’s new play Swallow, which follows three women as they fiercely navigate a moment in their lives when they feel utterly alone. A slim door that rotates is the only other set piece onstage. It fills with bright white light that flickers to orange to blue to green. This door seems to embody the blood running through our protagonists’ veins. And it keeps them away from each other– a perfect metaphor for Smith’s heartbreaking tale of these women on the verge of forever keeping the door locked.

Rebecca’s husband has abandoned her for another woman, leaving her devastated; Sam is struggling to look in the mirror and accept that she needs to live life as a man; Anna has locked herself in her flat and is violently tearing it apart – the pain of life has overwhelmed her once too many times.

With echoes of Sarah Kane’s work, Smith presents three monologues that seamlessly join together for intimate exchanges between the three women as their lives become interconnected. It’s not the most striking of set-ups, but Smith’s writing fizzes with wit and human insight. I truly cared for these women.

Orla O’Loughlin directs her compelling cast with precision and drive. Her production cleverly strips anything unnecessary away – O’Loughlin focuses us on Anna, Rebecca and Sam, and the immediacy of their experiences captivates. All three performances are alternately touching, insightful, and hilarious. The play is about humanity and the ability for life to completely overwhelm us. We see ourselves in these characters – we see our wives, sisters, friends, colleagues – and the tremendous pain that goes hand in hand with human exchange and connection. Anna, Rebecca, and Sam are all at a point where the pain is so vivid that barricading yourself in a room, smashing your phone and any other form of communication seems the only answer. Is it just too painful to even begin form another relationship? Swallow urges us to understand these moments of extreme despair, hold out a hand and make that leap to carry on.