Amphibians at Bridewell Theatre

Sometimes a stage is just not good enough. When it comes to sports and theatre, there is a distinct case of under representation; horse riding, kayaking, bungee jumping to name but a few.

But sometimes a creative vision simply calls for some more creative state management. And this is just what Amphibians did. This unique play follows the lives of two Olympic swimmers, Max (Sam Heughan) and Elsa (Louise Ford) from their first swim meets to their life changing performances at the Olympics. Continuing the list of sports that don’t really take kindly to stage representation, it’s safe to say swimming is probably at the top.

Based on an idea by Cressida Brown, written by Steve Waters and produced by the ingenious Offstage Theatre, Amphibians owes as much to its expert team behind the scenes as it does to the talent that stands on the stage. Only there is no stage. A play about swimming demands at least some vague resemblance of a pool. And as luck would have it, if you dig up the stage at the Bridewell Theatre you’ll discover a handy Victorian swimming pool. Throw the audience in the shallow end and you have got something pretty perfect.

Through a series of flashbacks and subtle scene changes facilitated by stunning visuals projected onto towels hung over locker doors, Amphibians sees these childhood friends reunited at their old swimming pool after four years. Encouraged by the mysterious presence lurking in the shadows, Arion (Gloria Onitiri), the cocky yet defeated champion Max and Elsa, whose commitments to swimming are now transferred to more familial pursuits, reminisce about how their lives and bodies have changed – yet their connection with the water and each other still remains. While young love is nothing we haven’t seen before, Amphibians’ combination of youthful innocence with the ferocity of sporting competition is inspiring.

The choreography should be commended as much as the script; the rhythmic strokes of a swimmer become indiscernible from the powerful movements of a dancer as the team synchronise to the electronic soundtrack reverberating around the tiled Victorian bathhouse. Panting and heaving, the strained lungs of a swimmer become the percussion accompaniment to the performance, contributing an unspoken story of the struggles and pressures of competitive swimming.

Seated on bleachers, watching the action unfold on every side, the space is imbued with an unparalleled atmosphere. Eerie noises echo throughout the performance making the audience feel perhaps we are not the only voyeurs in Max and Elsa’s reunion – but also in the presence of the ghosts of the past who still wander the pool side.

That suffocating feeling of falling in love is captured by the lung-crushing pressure of holding your breath under water and the knee-quivering poise of standing on the Olympic block. Not that I have ever stood on an Olympic block…and I’ve never been that good at holding my breath. But in such atmospheric surroundings, literally immersed in the pool, it is difficult not to find yourself submerged in the passion and emotion of youth and that breathless feeling of falling in love. Whether it’s with a partner, or with your sport.

Amphibians is running until January 28, 2011 at:

Bridewell Theatre
14 Bride Lane
Farringdon
EC4Y 8EQ

Tel: 020 7353 3331