Review by Daz Gale
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tim Sheader’s inaugural season as Artistic Director at the always wonderful Donmar Warehouse has got off to a pretty impressive start with the truly jaw-dropping The Fear Of 13 and the phenomenally successful UK premiere of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Of 1812, which I’d be very surprised if we’ve seen the last of. Following in those footsteps and hoping to make it three in a row is the world premiere of new play Backstroke. Would this prove to be another masterstroke for the consistent Donmar?
Backstroke is centred on the mother-and-daughter relationship between Beth and Bo. Though Bo is facing challenges with her own daughter, she has to face the prospect of losing her mother when Beth is admitted to hospital, following a stroke. As she tries to deal with respecting her mother’s needs and facing the new challenges in her life, she relives key moments from the past and the sometimes difficult relationship she had with her mother.
Anna Mackmin’s writing is full of promise and intrigue as she crams an entire life into just over two hours. Her world-building impresses throughout with well-written and well-rounded characterisations of Beth, and to a slightly lesser extent, Bo, whose walls never come down completely. Though the relationship between mother and daughter isn’t completely conventional, it has aspects that will be familiar to many, no matter the relationship with their own mother, while the moments of humour that pepper always elicit a smile, if not a full-on belly laugh.
While there is nothing wrong with Mackmin’s writing in general, it does get a bit cluttered and clumsy at times, often trying to do too much or tie together too many varying strands of plot at the expense of a more cohesive story. Though life is messy and this may be a reflection of that in a certain respect, it does make for an uneven watch at times – one that has moments of brilliance that are then followed by moments of frustration. I found goodwill that was built up in the show’s stronger first act is somewhat undone in the second act that never quite finds its feet and struggles to create an impact with its inevitable ending.
I found myself struggling to connect with the story, disappointingly. Though I longed for an emotional response to the story, I found my eyes oddly dry in moments that should have had me welling up. I am reminded of last year’s excellent A Tupperware Of Ashes at National Theatre. One of my favourite plays of the year and one that shares similarities with Backstroke. Dealing with the family matriarch’s dementia diagnosis and her deterioration, it was never so clear cut, painting a picture of all the conflictions of the situation sensitively. It feels like this is what Backstroke is trying to do, though it never quite gets there to the same effect, sadly.
Mackmin also directs Backstroke which means her vision is at least consistent in the writing and direction, though it does mean moments that needed a bigger impact don’t benefit from what would have been a second opinion. Having both Bo (Tamsin Greig) and Beth (Celia Imrie) go through various stages of their lives at all ages leads to some strong moments and some not-so-strong ones, with one prolonged scene seeing Greig as a small child feeling somewhat misplaced, especially given the fact they have a child in the cast. This pivotal scene which uses the key memory of learning to swim and having Bo repeat these words to signify her mother’s ability to let go in the end should prove touching, but does feel somewhat shoehorned in and lacking the subtlety needed to really achieve the desired emotional response.
Lez Brotherston’s set design interestingly joins two conflicting settings together with Beth’s home attached to her hospital room, leading to quick transitions from the past to the present. Paule Constable works wonders on lighting, while Gino Ricardo Green has an impressive use of video design, giving a cinematic feel to Backstroke at times, though this doesn’t come as naturally as you would hope, at times feeling like it belongs in another show completely.
The strongest element of Backstroke is, without doubt, its cast. Tamsin Greig and Celia Imrie are wonderful talents and get to showcase this at every opportunity, even when the material doesn’t quite live up to their skills. Greig brilliantly attempts to deal with the conflicting nature of the end of her mother's life, never quite knowing the right way to react. A character that keeps her walls up, we rarely get past these to see a full emotional response but Greig marvels despite this with a characterisation you can’t help wanting to know more about.
Celia Imrie spends parts of Backstroke mostly immobile though demonstrating the art of subtlety throughout this. It makes the scenes when she is active in her past all the more impactful, with great comedic abilities and a brashness that proves thrilling to watch. As her brain becomes more muddled, Imrie has to balance retaining the essence of Beth with the disease that is slowly losing her – a challenge she more than rises to, in a wonderful portrayal. Predominantly a two-hander, the cast also features three hospital staff with Lucy Briers providing some comic relief through a fairly one-note character as nurse Carol.
Backstroke has moments of brilliance, though these sometimes get lost along the way. Where Beth slowly gets muddled is a key point of the play, the writing often suffers with this – trying to do too much and not letting certain parts of it play out naturally. This means all impact is lost and emotional connection is not forthcoming. Though this is still an interesting watch in itself, it has so much potential to be even better than it currently is – it just isn’t at the best version of itself at the moment.
Backstroke plays at Donmar Warehouse until 12th April. Tickets from www.donmarwarehouse.com
Photos by Johan Persson