Theater: The Red Speedo--skimpy but stylish
The Red Speedo, a play about performance enhancing drugs and the pressures of the high performance athlete, is most striking before a single word is spoken. I was seated in row 2, 3 feet behind a long 1.5 m tall, 1m deep translucent "fishtank" that extended the width of the stage. Actor Alex Breaux enters clad only in a red Speedo, dives into the chlorinated tank, and does a few laps with flip turns before toweling off. This Speedo will be his only attire for the rest of the play. A memorable opening!
As for the talking, there are few characters, and few new insights if you read the papers about PEDs in sports. The athlete is manipulated for profit and fame, and appears cluelessly focused on his times, like most high level competitors for whom times/winning are the sole metrics of success. Playwright Lucas Hnath does a good job of moving things along and not preaching, thankfully. I did appreciate the complexity built into the story as the swimmer himself manipulates and has a charming bit of sociopathy built into that lanky body. Mr. Breaux, a relative newcomer, did a good job with the role, largely playing a foil for most of the play. His body (and swimming) were pretty convincing, too, and his way of muttering responses with little expression reminded me of swimmers from my high school past. A clever, well staged, but non-scintillating evening overall.
As for the talking, there are few characters, and few new insights if you read the papers about PEDs in sports. The athlete is manipulated for profit and fame, and appears cluelessly focused on his times, like most high level competitors for whom times/winning are the sole metrics of success. Playwright Lucas Hnath does a good job of moving things along and not preaching, thankfully. I did appreciate the complexity built into the story as the swimmer himself manipulates and has a charming bit of sociopathy built into that lanky body. Mr. Breaux, a relative newcomer, did a good job with the role, largely playing a foil for most of the play. His body (and swimming) were pretty convincing, too, and his way of muttering responses with little expression reminded me of swimmers from my high school past. A clever, well staged, but non-scintillating evening overall.
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