Red Speedo: A Play

by Lucas Hnath

Ray’s swum his way to the eve of the Olympic trials. If he makes the team, he’ll get a deal with Speedo. If he gets a deal with Speedo, he’ll never need a real job. So when someone’s stash of performance-enhancing drugs is found in the locker room fridge, threatening the entire team’s Olympic fate, Ray has to crush the rumors or risk losing everything.


A sharp and stylish play about swimming, survival of the fittest, and the American dream of a level playing field—or of leveling the field yourself.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Hanako · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've never read or seen anything with such a complicated relationship between brothers. this play is so engaging and unlike any other i've read. i was constantly on the edge of my seat. i just wish there was a little more joy/comedic relief from the cycle of disaster after disaster

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t work with family.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucas Hnath creates interesting characters full of depth and emotion.
I love that he wrote about swimming and how he incorporates moral judgement and ethics.

[Dorsa Ehya · Rating 4 out of 5]

نحوه‌ی ساخت و پرداختش امروزی و مدرنه و همین کمک می‌کنه راحت‌تر بخونیدش. حتی نمی‌دونم چرا گل‌درشت بودن پیام نهایی‌اش اذیتم نکرد و با اینکه باز هم این سناریو رو شنیده بودیم، صحنه‌ی آخر رو دوست داشتم.

[Kym Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

ray so fucking stupid are you serious

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've waited a Loooong time to read this play and it was Sooooo worth the wait! An inventive look at what people will do for their American Dream-no matter the cost or because of the cost! Rich layers to each character, judgement is left up to the reader. Hnath is quite an amazing playwright!

[Jamie Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn this bitch crazy

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually thought this was a much better play than Hnath's Tony-nominated sequel to A Doll's House. The characters are all unique and well-defined, and the dialogue is both naturalistic and exciting. My one qualm is that the central character of Ray is almost too mentally deficient to be believable, especially since his brother Peter is razor sharp ... but I guess that can happen.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cast’s acting was intense and tight. The ending was stunning. The set and scene changes and lighting and tech was superb. The execution of the script was exceptional. But the story. Ugh. The story. It felt like one really long scene with a lot of violence and yelling. It felt like the only way the story could be told well was with melodrama and those nearly always make for poor stories. Oof.

[Jack Slevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intertwined themes in Ray, Peter, and Lydia’s stories are incredible. I love stories that challenge people’s morals under capitalism and this does it very well. Lydia defying the healthcare system, but doing so for a profit is a very interesting question of morality. Did she do it for good or did she do it because she wanted to turn a quick buck? Ray and Peter’s relationship of brothers, but also product and distributor is painful to watch in the best way. Coach’s disruption of this relationship is very interesting especially because he eventually bends the knee too. Ray is his ticket to fame and consequently fortune and he isn’t willing to ruin that to protect his integrity. The polarization of choice as this play spirals is fantastic. The stakes keep getting higher meaning the results will be all the more glorifying or devastating which pushes the characters towards the immoral both out of greed for their glory but also fear of their devastation.

[Paraic McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hnath's style of writing made reading this play very interesting. However, I felt that the play lacked a steady rise to a climax. The fight scene, which Hnath describes in the stage directions at the beginning of the play, makes sense technically but I wished there was something more. The fight bored me a little bit. If it wasn't for Hnath's interesting stage directions I would not have enjoyed the fight scene as much as I did.

Overall the play was enjoyable, but would I recommend it to a friend? That is a question that I am still pondering.

[StorytellerMg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this play; it's absolutely gripping! The big surprises in the story are just mind-blowing! Ray is a swimmer, and he's worked incredibly hard to make it to the Olympic trials. If he succeeds and makes the team, he'll score a deal with Speedo, which would mean he can pursue his passion without needing a regular job. his brother is his manager. But then someone finds a stash of performance enhancing drugs in the lockers and it leads to reveal after reveal. Incredible.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This piece doesn't work great as a piece of reading because of all of the sentences that drop off in the middle of nowhere and the dialogue style of the characters constantly interrupting each other.

I'd be interested to see it performed to see if that changes my experience of the piece at all. There interesting characters, and the story is decent, although pretty superficial.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm.. holy shit???!!! There's something incredibly primal about this play. God, it was so disgusting. Everything was just so visceral and the language was effective in what it wanted the audience to experience. It felt like a piece of true crime. What you have before a story is dipped in tasteless dramatization. A fucked up case.

[Brian McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hnath creates a powerful voice in this play for all of his characters. The ending is not pat ==> the dysfunction will continue tomorrow.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it was fine. It was an okay play. I wanted to love it, but I thought it was just okay.

[Nick K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Will Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read since all the characters overlap their dialogue. Nice questions about morality vs what's best for each person.

[Not Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Play.

Excellent.

This version has a few grammatical and formatting issues.

[Arden Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh. Lucas Hnath, YOU KNOW HOW TO WRITE DIALOGUE. Reading this play was quick and sharp and easy. Loveddddd.

[kayla michelle pisano ✮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was WACK.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

id kill myself

[Jessica Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for the play 5 stars for Roy Orbison

[Charlie Herndon]

Tightly constructed and perfectly executed, some interesting format, too, no complaints from me.

[Rishi M · Rating 4 out of 5]

doppeee play

[Ainsley Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is the Christians reformatted to be about sports doping and idc abt that

[zz · Rating 4 out of 5]

what do you think affirmative action is

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun little play has well-defined characters in strong conflict. A good blend of comedy and drama with creative staging. This play would be fun to see live.

[Wiley June · Rating 2 out of 5]

i didn’t like this one all that much

[Kristen Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great dialog, great relationships, great moral questions.