What’s the story?

Jacob Poole is rowing across an ocean, recording content and capturing livestreams as he goes. The goal is to raise money for charity and his growing following gives him the chance to repeatedly raise and match his targets… but has he been totally honest about why he’s out there?

This one-man show by and starring Rufus McGrath asks how an ordinary man trying to do something good might handle a sudden influx of fame, what lengths a person will go to when a once-insurmountable goal is within reach, and how such extreme measures impact those he loves.

Where is it playing?

Swell plays at the Old Red Lion Theatre for three nights, closing on March 20th 2026

Tickets are now sold out but more information can be found on the theatre’s website

This review was written at the request of director Charlie Collinson, who kindly invited me to attend.

Spoiler-Free Thoughts

With Jacob already several days at sea, and feeling the loneliness that comes with being alone with no land – never mind people – to be seen, Swell begins crudely and metaphorically. Lights still down, it takes a moment for the audience to realise that Jacob is “taking care of” himself, and ultimately no matter how close he gets he doesn’t quite reach that climax. The same could be said about his time at sea.

This opening also serves to introduce something key about Jacob Poole, that he is an average, ordinary man despite his extraordinary expedition. His wants and needs are like anyone else’s, but through the choices he has made and the sense of duty he has come to feel, his are by no means typical circumstances and the eyes of the world are quite literally on his adventure. Writer-performer Rufus McGrath explores his ideas with this normalcy in mind, leaving his audience their own opportunity to ask and answer their own questions.

McGrath’s writing carefully allows for exposition early on without the hand-holding quality this could create, wisely using Jacob’s continuous social media presence to inform us of not only what he is doing, but of how much time has already passed when the story settles in. As questions regarding the background to his decision to row across an ocean blossom in viewers’ minds – is Jacob as enamoured with the fame as the successful fundraising? does his willing absence point to discontent in his life and relationship? – he is careful not to answer them directly, letting the audience build and reshape their own understanding of the character while Jacob himself simply exists before them.

Directed by Charlie Collinson, Swell is set the daunting task of an expansive location (the ocean) but only one set, an approximation of the boat itself. Collinson has helped to shape McGrath’s performance, keeping a sense of constant motion and increasingly broad anxiety within the boat’s confines, and effectively slowing things down for the quieter moments where Jacob must sit with his own decisions. Swell feels, under Collinson’s careful guidance, grander than its one-hour runtime, and shorter in its sharpness of pace.

Also essential to the production is Jordan Lewis, acting as the show’s technical director. It is Lewis who pulls together the dramatic blackouts, gradual fading-in of the light as Jacob meets another sunrise out at sea, and perhaps most importantly his ongoing videography. Audio-visual elements can, of course, be finicky in a fringe/pub theatre space, but for opening night Lewis had executed everything flawlessly and these lighting and video components were deeply effective in breaking up Jacob’s days on the water and immersing the audience within his ever-expanding online community.

While it’s only McGrath seen onstage, there are a trio of actors who appear courtesy of the character’s satellite phone, allowing for communication with a radio presenter, his supportive-if-concerned father, and most pivotally with the partner he is ostensibly doing all of this for. Christopher Watson and Callum Cronin do fine work, bringing to life the father and presenter, but the most impactful is, of course, Jacob’s partner Lucy, brought to unseen life through a commanding voice performance from Jenny Wall. Wall sells the pain and sense of abandonment completely, leaving us in little doubt of the difficult readjustment Jacob will eventually have to face.

But of course, the most central aspect of Swell is Jacob Poole himself, with Rufus McGrath delivering a strong performance in which he is never able to leave the stage. The writer-performer has given himself a mighty task, putting across Jacob’s shifting emotions throughout a lengthy time not only on the water but within his still-growing community. As McGrath’s writing allows us to draw our own conclusions about Jacob, his decisions thus far, and the authenticity of his motives, it’s Rufus McGrath’s commanding performance that ensures we are never less than captivated with the character, and are as hungry as his viewers to see what comes next.

Final Thoughts

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Endearing. Adventurous. Extraordinary.

A show attuned to the ever-changing landscape of social media virality, endlessly aware of the personal failings that can come alongside public triumphs, and always willing to allow for audience interpretation, Swell feels authentic, lived-in, and above all else is consistently entertaining. Jacob Poole feels true, as if your doom-scroll could land on his page at any moment, and McGrath and co. make sure he is worth the subscription.