Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Swamplesque
Trigger Happy Productions
Genre: Burlesque
Venue: Assembly Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Swamplesque is a retelling of the 2004 hit film Shrek through a series of drag and burlesque performances. All of the classic characters from the film, from Shrek and Fiona to Donkey and The Dragon, dance across the stage to modern and classic hits.
Review
The title tells you all you need to know — Burlesque in the swamp. It’s not just any old swamp, though, it’s the most famous swamp of all time, Shrek’s swamp. The parody show is a loose retelling of the 2004 classic through a series of drag and burlesque performances. From the moment the lights go down straight through to the final pose, the cast brought energy, excitement, and a whole lot of skin.
It’s worth noting that this is not a family-friendly show. There is near nudity, harsh language, and never ending sexual references. This is to say, Swamplesque is a real burlesque show full of everything you would expect. Structurally, however, it’s different from the normal variety and cabaret style. Between each burlesque number, there were ‘cut scenes.’ The cast highlighted the ‘greatest hits’ from the film through lip-synced audio signposting our location in the plot. This direct connection to the film also helped contextualize the songs used in the burlesque performances. The performers picked out keywords from the movie dialogue and used them to transition into the tassel-studded tight-corset thong-wearing dances.
What made this show stand out as truly excellent was how the performers remained committed and serious even when it became unrecognizably outlandish. Swamplesque is the only place in Edinburgh, dare I say on Earth, where you could see Shrek strip do nothing but a thong and do a burlesque routine to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Moments like this, and there were plenty, made the show an extremely unique experience. It’s also worth noting the contrast between the absurdity of the performance and the venue. Of all the stages Swamplesque could have graced, Shrek and the gang found themselves in a 175 year-old church and school of divinity. Without making any hard and fast claims about religion, I doubt the world-renowned school’s founders would’ve been remarkably open to a strip show taking place in their ornate central hall.
For a Shrek-inspired burlesque show, Swamplesque hit almost every note perfectly. The second half of the show slowed down slightly, this is partially due to the plot of the movie slowing down itself around the third act. Another place for improvement would be holding back a few tricks and moves for later so that the dances don’t become too repetitive. These pacing critiques didn’t detract from the show much, though, as the audience still clearly had a blast from start to finish. The only real moment of disappointment was the lack of the song ‘I’m a Believer,’ a key moment in the film. Other than that omission, the show fulfilled its promise.
