How I Learned to Swim @ Summerhall
Somebody Jones’ How I Learned to Swim is a touching portrayal of fear and trauma that has the potential to soar
Thirty-year-old Jamie (Frankie Hart) has been traumatised by the water since she was nine. Inherently tied to images of drowning, misinformation, pain and loss, it’s a wound that runs deep. Spurred by the guilt surrounding her missing brother, Jamie faces her fear head on and takes her first swimming lesson. On her journey she uncovers what lies beneath the surface of her dread, revealing the deep historic connection between Black people and water. Directed by Emma Jude Harris, Somebody Jones’ How I Learned to Swim is a touching portrayal of fear and trauma, making seamless connections between past and present that reveal broader truths about Black history. With a few adjustments, the show has the potential to soar.
Jamie’s brother Baz is missing. As the story progresses, we witness her unravelling as she processes the emotional turmoil resulting from this tragedy. Fuelled by both guilt and desperation, Jamie resolves to learn how to swim, determined to search for him in the ocean – the last place he was seen. Hart depicts Jamie’s swimming lessons with humour and vulnerability, convincingly portraying a blunt yet cheerful swimming instructor with a flawless British accent. These scenes shine the brightest, as Hart communicates Jamie’s anxiety and fear with nuance and subtlety and her multi-roling is excellent. Unfortunately, other elements of Hart’s performance feel forced and undermine the strength of Jones’ writing. Many of the jokes are overemphasised, which is jarring in some contexts, and moments of heightened emotion appear fabricated.
A fascinating element of Jones’ work is her reference to nautical Afrofuturist mythologies that provide the ancestral backdrop to Jamie’s journey. Encouraged by her mother, Jamie visits a spiritual healer that tells the story of Mami Wata, a water spirit held sacred in Central, Western and Southern Africa and the Afro-American diaspora. The healer’s encouragement prompts Jamie to gain a greater appreciation for her mother’s spiritualism, unlocking fresh perspectives. The inclusion of this rich history in combination with Hart’s ethereal movements in the water create an other-worldy atmosphere that enriches the piece.
It is clear that Harris’ direction has enhanced this symbolism, particularly in the way the stage has been mapped out, with distinct movements that delineate land from water. Nicola T Chang’s immersive aquatic soundscape is also integral to the piece, creating vivid imagery of Jamie’s dipping and diving into the water. Though this imagery is powerful, it does not resolve the fact that Jamie’s determination to find her brother in the ocean requires the audience to suspend their disbelief at her naivety, making it difficult for us fully to connect. This is not helped by a slightly contrived ending.
Somebody Jones’ How I learned to Swim dives into the deep end exploring fear, healing and trauma. With some re-direction and edits, the show has the potential to blossom further.
How I Learned to Swim, Summerhall (Roundabout), until 26 Aug, 4.10pm, £10-17