Swan Song from Jilted Bride Productions takes us into the chaotic world of a disgraced director attempting to propel himself back into the spotlight with a new production. Along the way, secrets emerge, powerful people risk being exposed and an assortment of theatrical personalities collide. With its mixture of comedy, media criticism and deliberately absurd characters, Swansong has all the ingredients for something wonderfully chaotic.
There is a good premise here and plenty that the production can play with.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of this particular performance there were some annoying audience members talking, which made it difficult to concentrate properly on some of the early dialogue. They soon left, allowing me to settle into the production and enjoy it much more.
It should also be acknowledged that the company had experienced last-minute cast illnesses, resulting in two actors having to quickly take on additional parts. That is never an easy situation, particularly at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the cast deserve credit for getting the production onto the stage despite those circumstances.
Looking beyond those difficulties, however, I think the premise is stronger than its current execution.
The plot develops slowly and there are sections where it begins to feel a little stagnant. I kept waiting for the production to properly explode into life. In the final ten minutes, things finally started to hot up and I could see much more clearly what Swansong was trying to achieve.
Unfortunately, by then it felt a little too late.
For a production selling itself partly through comedic absurdity, I don’t think it is currently absurd enough.
There are individual cast members and characters who embrace that whacky style and push themselves towards something much bigger. Those moments work because they suit the world the production is trying to create. However, not everyone reaches that same level, which means the absurdity can feel uneven.
I wanted Swansong to be louder, bolder and considerably more ridiculous.
If you are going to create this kind of world, particularly at the Edinburgh Fringe, I think you have to completely commit to it. Characters can be exaggerated further, situations can become more outrageous and the production can take greater risks with its comedy.
There are also interesting ideas underneath the absurdity, particularly around mainstream media, power, reputation and the people who control narratives. The production raises issues which could generate discussion, but again I wanted it to shout more loudly about them.
There are elements here which are good and which work. The foundations are there, but the characters and absurdity need to be turned up considerably. I would almost say ten times louder.
Lighting and sound were both fine and supported the production without causing any issues.
As a show in its own right, Swan Song is okay. The difficulty comes when placing it within the enormous marketplace that is the Edinburgh Fringe. Audiences have hundreds of productions competing for their attention, including shows which take absurdity and push it to extraordinary levels. Against that backdrop, it becomes easier for a production like this to be overlooked.
I would encourage the creative team to watch some of the other absurdist comedies appearing at the Fringe and look at just how far those productions are prepared to push their characters, physicality and situations. Swan Song doesn’t need to copy them, but seeing the level of commitment to absurdity elsewhere could help the company discover just how much further its own concept can go.
I hovered over the final rating because of the unexpected cast changes, and those circumstances absolutely deserve to be taken into consideration. Ultimately, though, I have to judge the production that was presented.
There is a good idea here, the pacing is okay and there are flashes of the absurd comedy promised by the premise. It now needs the confidence to become much bigger, much bolder and considerably more absurd.
★★★ 3 Stars
“There is a good idea here – now Swansong needs the confidence to become much bigger, bolder and considerably more absurd.”
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