August 9-15, 17-29

17:00, (1h)

Pleasance Courtyard, Venue 33

Script:  Stagecraft:   Performance: 

The DugOut theatre company fed us another jam packed comedic romp filled with takes on modern living. The play moves in and out of serious thinking using humour to make its points, of which there were many. Inferences, such as the iconic swan to represent beauty, were used as a prop for engaging the audience. This was a fun way to reflect on, and sympathise with, the demands modern life makes on all of us.

The engagement the play asks of the audience is as sporadic as the quick and amusing treatment of each subject it touches on. Four characters find themselves on a pedalo in the shape of a swan in open water. The first line ends with a joke that immediately gets the audience laughing. The cast take turns to reminisce and come up with the idea of listing things in life that are now behind them. This happened when a book appeared.

The cast dance, sing and follow their emotions as well as each other’s in a discourse that still remains quick and snappy allowing for so many feelings to come forth and play upon accompanied by more jokes. There is a sense of fluidity emphasised by letting things run their course throughout the play. From the lit stage, to the audience, then to the complete room, this is also was very human. The pendulum swings from things that are beautiful to things the world would be better off without but even this is played down while preserving the general sense of the play that flows from meaning full, to meaning less.

No need for shock or even action when the dialogue conveys this much information. All-inclusive yet clean, the story fills an hour of entertainment peppered with laughter. Delightfully moving in fluency, the mood is one of reflection and construction, emphasized by the water that surrounds them and the dire situation they find themselves in. There is something for everyone in a play like this as it probes the stark realisation the four face with each other and the world around them.

Besides the jokes, the flow of comedic values elicits a smile supporting the play throughout and on into its finale. Once it has ended, it left us in good humour but also relaxed in a come-what-may sort of mood. Sharp, witty, concise – if you’re a fan of comedic discourse, this is the play for you.

Reviewer: Daniel Donnelly