The Art of Swimming

One of the treats of any Edinburgh Fringe is the one-person show that immerses its audience in the world of a well-known or even long-forgotten celebrity.

This utterly wonderful piece is not only a fine example of the genre but also an examination of the relationship between the performer, their subject and their audience.

Lynda Radley addresses the audience directly. “I will need you to imagine that I am Mercedes Gleitze: the first British woman to swim the English Channel. This I did in 1927 aged 26 and it took 15 hours and 15 minutes...”.

It's also the story of how she discovered the story of the swimmer (who was also the first person of either sex to swim the Straits of Gibraltar), the awkward relationship that grew between her and her dead subject, and the nature of celebrity as it affects a person whose ability is to do something incredibly solitary.

And it's all done with the simplest of props, a picnic basket or a small step-ladder, seemingly naive story telling and a subtle and beautifully played accordion, courtesy of Michael John McCarthy's discreet presence.

In fact the apparent naivety hides some quietly enchanting writing: “I am taller than I am – obviously”. The simple staging allows the stature of the achievement to grow in front of us. The swim itself is conjured from words, music and a knotted rope counting the miles. And from the performance. You feel the growing weariness as the knots pass through Lynda Radley's hands like rosary beads.

A beautifully written and performed piece about a modest, strong-willed woman produces an hour of quiet, gentle delight. It was my first show this year but I know already that it will prove to be one of the gems of the fringe.