Backstroke Review: Tamsin Greig and Celia Imrie shine in touching drama
Make no mistake, this is an emotional and intimate play, but well worth it.
You won’t be surprised to learn that Backstroke is an extremely sad play. What you may be surprised to learn is that it’s funny, too.
Friday Night Dinner's Tamsin Greig plays Bo, whose mother Beth – played by Celia Imrie of Bridget Jones fame – is admitted to hospital following a stroke.
Written and directed by Anna Mackmin, the following 130 minutes are an exploration of this complicated mother-daughter relationship. We view key moments throughout their lives but always land back to the hospital bed which Beth occupies.
It’s when the play moves into the past that we can laugh. It’s also here that Imrie embodies the eccentric nature of Beth, often to the exasperation of her daughter but much to the delight of the audience.
Nuzzled in between the sex references and the weight jibes, Imrie delivers a tenderness to a woman who, while full of life and defiance, is also grappling with her own illness.
The staging helps to differentiate between the past and present. A kitchen occupies the foreground; where most of the scenes set in the past take place. Centre stage, and the background, is the hospital – the present day. It’s a constant that serves to remind the audience that the exuberant Beth of the past is no longer like that.
The lynchpin of the entire show? Tamsin Greig. It is her portrayal of Bo and her struggles which we’re tied to. Despite playing the "daughter", she has nearly always played the role of the “mother” in this relationship. And much like this relationship, the play rests on Bo’s shoulders.
Surrounding this mother and daughter are a cast of supporting characters played by Lucy Briers, Anita Reynolds and Georgina Rich, all of whom play their parts beautifully to further this very human experience that we’re part of.
Make no mistake, this is an emotional and intimate play. There is a tenderness in the way Grieg and Imrie play against one another. There are moments where it is uncomfortable to watch. It’s a cathartic experience that stays with you long after you leave the theatre behind.
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How to get Backstroke tickets
Backstroke is running from 15th February to 12th April 2025 at the Donmar Warehouse.
To get there, the closest stations are Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden or Leicester Square stations.
Tickets are available at Donmar Warehouse with plenty of availability throughout.
Make sure you also check out how to get Post Malone UK tickets, how to get French Open tickets and our Much Ado About Nothing review.
