An intimate show filled with overwhelming honesty
Lydia Luke’s swallow explores love and vulnerability in a relationship and more specifically how it presents very often within the Black British community. Performed as part of the Peckham Fringe 2025, the play delivers a refreshing and honest portrayal of modern romance and the fear of commitment.
The play showed the reality of what it means to fall in love with potential; understanding what someone could be and grappling with the reality of what they actually are. The writing was humorous when it needed to be but also sharp when necessary. You could feel the clear difference between when the characters were in their loved up best moments compared to the hurt that came after. The dialogue struck such a chord that, at times, the audience couldn’t help but audibly react. It was simply that real.
The staging was minimal, a bare set with nothing but a bed, but I think it proved to be all that was needed. This simplicity kept the focus squarely on the characters. Xanthus (Nat) and Mohammed Mansaray (Aren) delivered a masterclass on connection. Their chemistry was really something, from the very first moments where their bodies moved around each other in seamless choreography. The intimacy between them felt lived-in and utterly believable, a testament to both the writing and the direction.
In just under an hour, the play says everything it needs to. Lydia Luke created something honest and beautiful and I really had to sit with it upon leaving the theatre. It was a standout of the Fringe for me, and I look forward to seeing more of what’s to come from her.