Wild Swimming – Hope Street Theatre

Directors Dan Meigh and Connor Wray delightfully plunge us into the lives of a young couple whose relationship is firmly in the ‘can’t live with you, can’t live without you’ stage, with their production of Marek Horn’s somewhat timeless two-hander that plays fast and loose with time.

Whilst men are from Mars and women are from Venus, Nell (Amy Thompson-Hope) and Oscar (Harry Clark) opt to meet on a beach in 1595 – or is it 1610 – and to which they will return like the tide over the next four hundred years to debate feminism, privilege, literature, sex, and, of course, swimming.

Watery metaphors abound for these two very diverse characters; she is witty and acerbic with a sharp tongue whilst he dreams of being a poet and adventurer from the safety of his beach towel, yet the opening knockabout comedic atmosphere soon turns darker as they march forward through history and cracks begin to appear in their relationship.

In one respect, not a lot happens: some things change, some things stay the same, but the lived experiences of the characters and the tonal changes that ensue are cleverly captured through strong performances in this insightful production, as the play becomes more explicit about changing gender dynamics through the ages and a reversal in fortune.

The staging was rightfully kept simple with three clothes rails bearing the period costumes that our characters dip in and out of to reflect the respective time periods they encounter. The voice overs that marked each transition were informative but could have segued more smoothly alongside the good choice of musical accompaniment that marked scene changes.

The physical theatre from Movement Directors Felipe Pacheco and Grace Goulding was composed and well considered to reflect the unfolding emotions on stage with good use of space and was skilfully performed by Hope-Thompson and Clark, with the latter delivering a particularly moving routine towards the end of the play.

Hope-Thompson and Clark both deliver confident performances displaying an emotional maturity beyond their years as they handle the complexities of language as well as character nuances and vulnerabilities with some ease. As a pairing they had the necessary chemistry that the roles demand as well as something more: there was a synchronicity in their movement and delivery that was a real pleasure to watch.

Off The Ground Theatre (OTGT) was formed with the aim of producing quality theatre which is accessible to all. Further information on the company and their upcoming productions can be found at https://www.offtheground.co.uk/

Wild Swimming is the first production of OTGT’s 30^th year and performs at Hope Street Theatre through to 8^th March 2025. Further details and booking at https://hopestreettheatre.com/whats-on/

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 6^th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: