F**king Swans at the Omnibus Theatre is part of the 96 Festival of queer theatre and is a play centred on two same sex couples.
Their gender is a refreshingly incidental detail because, aside from mentions of when gay marriage became legal, the focus is on their relationships.
Ronnie and Harper are the cutesy couple and are expecting a baby. Carol is loud and has a relationship with Lindsay built on bickering and making up.
They are all friends and seem to tolerate each other’s behaviour until, seemingly out of nowhere, Harper announces she wants a divorce.
The announcement comes as Ronnie, who is on deployment in the army, returns home for a brief visit.
She is naturally shocked. Friend Carol is angry at the split, and Lindsay tries to persuade Harper not to rush the divorce.
F**king Swans takes its time getting to the ‘why’ for the break-up, but it doesn’t fully explore the ‘why’ behind their behaviour and their feelings towards each other along the way.
Other themes similarly remain underexplored, for example, drinking during pregnancy leading to birth defects. It crops up during a heated blame-each-other argument, but the conversation quickly moves on.
Another subplot involving Carol has the potential to add a layer of emotional depth, but it too fails to spark.
The actors move naturally around the space and work well together, but they come and go from the stage a lot, particularly in the first half of the play.
It’s not for scene changes – there’s a sofa, table and chairs which work well for various different settings. Instead, it seems to be about repositioning the actors for what are a string of short scenes, particularly in the first half.
The result is that the pauses and blackouts make the pace choppy and stop-start, which doesn’t aid the narrative or emotional connection.
Final thoughts
F**king Swans is well-performed, but its themes feel surface, despite its 90-minute running time. I’m giving it two and a half stars.
F**king Swans, Omnibus Theatre
Written by Elise Marra
Directed by Elise Marra and Rhona
Cast: Siubhan Harrison, Mikkie-Dené Le Roux, Kelly Lamor Wilson, and Emma Wilkinson Wright
Running time: 90 minutes, no interval
Booking until 13 June; for more information and to buy tickets, visit the Omnibus Theatre website
Recently reviewed
Slaughterhouse-Five, Southwark Playhouse booking until 4 July
Before I’m Dead, The Glitch booking until 21 June
Care, Young Vic, booking until 11 July
Leave a Reply