‘Just let go. Let your body float. You’ll still be here but it’ll feel like flying in a dream.’
Bo is busy – balancing the pressures of work and the needs of her struggling daughter. When her mother, the irrepressible force-of-nature Beth, is admitted to hospital following a stroke, the practical realities of the present collide with the complexities of their past.
Backstroke is a kaleidoscopic and compassionate play, first performed at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2025. It was written and directed by Anna Mackmin, with Celia Imrie and Tamsin Greig playing mother and daughter.
‘Touching… mesmerising… ferociously unsentimental’
— The Times
‘An extraordinary play that puts the audience inside the maelstrom of its characters’ lives… a multifaceted portrait of motherhood’
— Arts Desk
‘Touching… an emotional and intimate play… extremely sad, but funny too… a cathartic experience that stays with you long after you leave the theatre behind’
— Radio Times
‘Compelling and astutely observed… original and moving’
— Guardian
‘A heartfelt, unsentimental portrayal of the slippery cord of maternal connection… Beautiful passages of writing, both terrifying and tender… has a ringing emotional authenticity… there’s also a huge amount of laughter’
— The Stage
‘Gripping and unflinching’
— London Theatre
‘Bittersweet… though fraught with knotty tension, a faint ray of tender light gently emerges from beneath, slowly illuminating the room with heartfelt warmth’
— Broadway World
