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The Swell
You need to meet the other special people. There are so many of us. You'll fall in love every day.
Annie is happy at last – she's engaged to Bel, the love of her life, and counting down the days to their wedding. But then old friend, free spirit, and troublemaker Flo turns up unexpectedly, and announces she'll be staying with them until the big day. Their surprise reunion turns into a complicated love triangle with dangerous consequences that threaten to destroy Annie's Happily Ever After...
Isley Lynn's thrilling romantic drama The Swell is a gripping story spanning decades of love, sacrifice and betrayal, which was shortlisted for The Women's Prize for Playwriting 2020. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in June 2023.
Annie is happy at last – she's engaged to Bel, the love of her life, and counting down the days to their wedding. But then old friend, free spirit, and troublemaker Flo turns up unexpectedly, and announces she'll be staying with them until the big day. Their surprise reunion turns into a complicated love triangle with dangerous consequences that threaten to destroy Annie's Happily Ever After...
Isley Lynn's thrilling romantic drama The Swell is a gripping story spanning decades of love, sacrifice and betrayal, which was shortlisted for The Women's Prize for Playwriting 2020. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in June 2023.
- GenresPlays
88 pages, Paperback
Published August 11, 2023
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2023
4.5, rounded up.
Of the three plays by Lynn I've now read, this is by far the most accomplished - although there is a bit of slight of hand/misdirection taken in the way the play is presented on the page to keep the big twist a secret until the proper revelation, that initially confused me. I also loved how the title keeps shifting in meaning throughout the play - and that the playwright provides six meaty, fully dimensional female characters, 3 of which are for middle-aged actresses. Also that it is a queer love story that is not really ABOUT being queer. Would love to see this performed. (PS: it's also nice to see that with her own success as a Booker-nominated novelist, Sophie Ward hasn't abandoned her first profession as an actress).
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://diva-magazine.com/2023/07/10/...
https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend...
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/th...
Of the three plays by Lynn I've now read, this is by far the most accomplished - although there is a bit of slight of hand/misdirection taken in the way the play is presented on the page to keep the big twist a secret until the proper revelation, that initially confused me. I also loved how the title keeps shifting in meaning throughout the play - and that the playwright provides six meaty, fully dimensional female characters, 3 of which are for middle-aged actresses. Also that it is a queer love story that is not really ABOUT being queer. Would love to see this performed. (PS: it's also nice to see that with her own success as a Booker-nominated novelist, Sophie Ward hasn't abandoned her first profession as an actress).
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://diva-magazine.com/2023/07/10/...
https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend...
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/th...
September 17, 2023
Great twist. GREAT fucking twist.
December 29, 2025
THIS PLAY IS CREATIVE GENIUS
bloody professional puppeteering of the temporal (both the writing and the characters) - I was absolutely blindsided by the reveal !!! will be re-reading immediately, this is one of the best things i have read all year - absolutely brilliant
the concept of crafting an entirely new reality for you and your partner, with both of you knowing it’s a sham and yet both agreeing to keep pretending??
“B very gently pulls off F’s clip-on earrings, places them in F’s palm and rubs F’s lobes.” GAGGED. There is so much to unpack.
bloody professional puppeteering of the temporal (both the writing and the characters) - I was absolutely blindsided by the reveal !!! will be re-reading immediately, this is one of the best things i have read all year - absolutely brilliant
the concept of crafting an entirely new reality for you and your partner, with both of you knowing it’s a sham and yet both agreeing to keep pretending??
“B very gently pulls off F’s clip-on earrings, places them in F’s palm and rubs F’s lobes.” GAGGED. There is so much to unpack.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2023
Wow, this was amazing! I loved the characters and the twist - so completely gut wrenching.
February 6, 2024
First play I’ve read and it was actually way better than I thought! Was expecting not to like the style of writing but was so gripped
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews