Overview

Ray lives to swim. He is within touching distance of international glory and a life-changing sponsorship deal. But everything changes when performance-enhancing drugs are discovered in his swimming club's refrigerator. As tensions run high, Ray's brother wants them destroyed, his coach wants to call the authorities, his ex-girlfriend doesn't want to know, and Ray wants the drugs back. A thriller played at the breakneck pace of an Olympic sprint, Lucas Hnath's play Red Speedo tackles the unforgiving weight of success in a world where the only crime is getting caught. This sharp and stylish play was first performed at New York Theatre Workshop in 2016. It received its UK premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in 2024, in a co-production with David Adkin. It was directed by Matthew Dunster and starred Finn Cole. 'One of the brightest new voices of his generation' The New York Times 'Superb... a five-star smash... has the speed and menace of a shark... ingenious... poisonous perfection' — The Times'A remarkable feat… a taut, incisive drama… Hnath has a wonderfully inventive theatrical mind' — The New York Times 'Formal rigour, propulsive momentum, the sense that there's a lot happening beneath the surface' — Guardian 'Makes an impressive splash... entertainingly grapples with slippery questions... oozes a quality of Mamet-like assurance in its cut-and-thrust dialogue' — Telegraph 'A timely play about the cost of winning... Hnath carefully rations out the plot twists, betrayals and revelations, right up to the final pivot in the closing scene... packs an intellectual punch' — Arts Desk 'Fast and furious... all wrapped up with a proper slapstick battle... It's great fun to watch' — Reviews Hub 'Wonderful... the characters are so complex and the twists and turns so compelling... a thrilling exploration of the pressures of success and how it manifests' — West End Best Friend

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'A remarkable feat… a taut, incisive drama… Hnath has a wonderfully inventive theatrical mind' * The New York Times *

Author Information

Lucas Hnath is an award-winning playwright whose plays include A Doll's House, Part 2 (South Coast Repertory & Broadway, 2017); The Christians (Humana Festival, 2014); A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (Soho Rep); Red Speedo (Studio Theatre, 2013); nightnight (Humana Festival, 2013); Isaac's Eye (Ensemble Studio Theatre, 2013); and Death Tax (Humana Festival 2012; Royal Court Theatre, 2013). He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2015 Whiting Award, a Whitfield Cook Award, two Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Citations and a Windham Campbell Prize for drama.

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