Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs

The UK premiere of Lucas Hnath's play, "Red Speedo", at the Orange Tree Theatre, has been "cannily scheduled" to coincide with the Paris Olympics, said Chris Wiegand in The Guardian. As doping rows rumble on and a doping-friendly Enhanced Games begins to look like it could become a reality in 2025, the debate at the heart of the play certainly feels topical.
Directed by Matthew Dunster, the action follows aspiring Olympic swimmer Ray (Finn Cole) who is on the verge of signing a hefty promotional contract with Speedo. When performance-enhancing drugs are discovered in the communal fridge at his club, his life is thrown into disarray. The audience is launched into the ensuing row between Ray, his lawyer brother Peter (Ciaran Owens) and his coach (Fraser James).
In the real world, Ray would be the type of person you'd try to avoid, said Rachel Halliburton in The Times. "Reptilian, repellent and ruthless", this is a man who is so morally corrupt, "he's closer to pond life than pool life". But the "darkly comic" show's "taut, muscular humour" makes him "utterly compelling" to watch. Cole "never succumbs to the temptation of hamming it up"; instead he brings "emotional honesty" to his portrait of a man "cocooned in his own stupidity" and convinced that his ill-judged actions are for "the greater good".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The casting is "finely balanced", said Helen Hawkins on The Arts Desk. Cole is a "believable chump", while Owens is even more savage, expertly delivering "snide zingers" as the "snake-oil salesman with a suit and law degree". Engaging and pacy, Dunster's production "zips along", and plot twists are carefully rationed out, right up until the very last pivotal scene.
Anna Fleischle's "striking" set is a "mosaic of blue" and features a mini swimming pool illuminated by Sally Ferguson's "shimmering" lights, while Holly Khan's sound further adds to the "tension", said The Guardian. But the "stakes do not feel high enough" in the closing moments and could do with being "ratcheted up" a notch.
"It's highly unusual for a play to feel too short", added Julia Rank in What's On Stage. However, with a 90-minute running time and no interval "Red Speedo" feels "a tad skimpy".
Still, it didn't stop Halliburton in The Times from bestowing a glowing five-star rating on Lucas Hnath's play: I thought it was "poisonous perfection".
At The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, until 10 August
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
5 editorial cartoons about ICE raids
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on ICE raids, harvesting Big Macs for Donald Trump, and what to do when Stephen Miller shows up at the front door
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour
-
What we know about Iran's nuclear programme
In the Spotlight The global nuclear watchdog has declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years
-
6 smart, surprising food books to drag you through the summer months
The Week Recommends BBQ and why we consume the way we do are just two of the tackled topics
-
Hot for summer with these 10 tours from some of music's best artists
The Week Recommends Get ready for sing-along sunshine
-
10 upcoming albums to stream on the beach this summer
The Week Recommends Ring in the sunshine with a selection of new albums
-
These 8 superb cocktails welcome summer with open arms
The Week Recommends Everything required to get you through warm — or sweltering — weather
-
7 touring theater productions that are out to bring the joy
The Week Recommends 'Hamilton' and 'Wicked' never die, and neither does ABBA
-
Video games to immerse yourself in this summer, including Mario Kart World and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The Week Recommends Nintendo launches the Switch 2 with an exclusive Mario Kart entry, and Sega revisits an arcade classic
-
One great cookbook: 'The New Book of Middle Eastern Food'
The Week Recommends Where the academic and the practical coexist
-
Comedians to see on tour this summer
the week recommends Beat the heat with humor