How I Learned to Swim is a tale of empowerment and grief that trickles through an interesting entanglement of historical stereotypes, arriving at a decisive reclamation of the protagonist’s subconscious fears. Accompanied by the effective staging of a swimming pool, Frankie Hart delivers a convincing one-woman performance in which she takes on the role of multiple characters, smoothly switching between accurate accents and body language.
Though slightly over-littered with exaggerated theatrical techniques, the journey surpassing grief is well structured, reflecting on poignant moments in the protagonist’s life and her modern-day swimming lessons. Whilst at first it is unknown why she wishes to learn to swim, it is understood that it is of the upmost importance to her, and there is a deadline fast approaching. The build towards this critical moment in her life is well executed and builds great dramatic effect.
Jones guides her audience eloquently through the racial stereotypes surrounding black people and their ability to swim, dissecting the colonial history that forces these narratives, but she attacks it from a personal and individual level, creating an empathetic atmosphere. Unfortunately, the infrequent jokes didn’t lend to lightening the mood and felt slightly out of place amongst a complex array of heavy topics. The spiritual guidance perspective was enjoyable but also felt out of place at times, not quite being followed through the narrative and taking a backseat to the other key messages of the play.
Whilst gracefully delivering a woeful personal tale of grief and triumph, How I Learned to Swim submerges us in a beautiful narrative arch that intends for nobody to ‘make it out unchanged’, but sadly it leaves one with an air of indifference in its wake.
How I Learned to Swim is on in Summerhall’s Roundabout, Aug 9-12, 14-19, 21-26,
Buy tickets here.
Image by Bradley Martin provided via Summerhall Press Office