Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Paper Swans
Vyte Garriga and Flabbergast Theatre
Genre: Absurd Theatre, Ballet, Dance and Movement Theatre, Physical Theatre, Surrealism
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Mesmerising physical movement, rooted in the Theatre Of The Absurd.
Review
Does everything have to have a reason ?
A woman is on a park bench, legs tucked beneath her body, dressed in white as a ballerina. She is obsessively making paper swans and letting them fall to the ground, unaware of anything else around her.
A security guard approaches. Actually, let’s re-examine that. While he ostensibly is a security guard and eventually states that this is his role, his attire in fact appears to be more akin to a pilot. And approaches is a stretch – he robotically, stylistically, in movements deliberately designed to suggest an absence of humanity, heads towards her.
He expresses surprise that she is in a locked park at night, despite the presence of eight security guards and security cameras. His slow, deliberate movements are unnerving, borderline menacing. He assumes that she will simply obey his instruction to follow him and leave the park ; however, she says that she cannot until she “has finished”. The awkward conversation continues until he inadvertently destroys her swans : she is devastated, but recovers when he says he will help her.
Following a scene change, the same guard approaches the woman in the same way. A similar conversation ensues, although she is now balletic, rather than still. Her feet are now bloodied – how ? why ? Were they that way before, but the guard just couldn’t see them, tucked beneath her ? She has this time hung the swans up, but not in the trees – what is going on here ? She is cold – he lends her his jacket. She mimics his voice, breaks his radio – the dynamics are shifting. She wants to cover the frozen lake with paper swans, despite the impracticalities of this.
They do not seem to be in a time loop, probably eliminating quantum mechanics questions. But still – does the guard have to get the day right before he can continue his life, as in Groundhog Day ?
The next iteration is played out – but she has retained his jacket. A flicker of recognition runs across his face. Further iterations ensue, with the woman apparently understanding the position, but the guard not, though he seems to have some realisation that the progressions are happening. He reaches the conclusion that he is trapped. Now she has blood on her face – from what ? Their names are finally revealed as Anna and Peter. When eventually they manage to cover the frozen lake in swans, the finale appears to be imminent. There is obviously a reference to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Anna and also writer (Vyte Garriga) and Peter (Daneil Chrisostomou) are mesmerising in their physical movement. Every action is carefully and critically slowly choreographed, meticulously stylised, their respective trainings (physical theatre, martial arts) being evident.
But what does it all mean ? Is it a reference to Garriga’s Lithuanian (formerly part of the USSR) upbringing, with Chrisostomou’s robotic movement and insistence on structure symbolic of the rules based regime? Is it a dream ? Is Peter in purgatory ? Is it a nihilistic statement of the pointlessness of life ? Does Peter have Alzheimer’s ?
Does everything have to have a reason ? This is a question Anna poses to Peter. Flabbergast’s surreal production of Paper Swans asks this question and pointedly refrains from answering it. If your preferred style of theatre is the traditional set-up – development – conclusion, this is probably not the piece for you. However, if you wish to experience a superbly performed physical, surreal performance, rooted in the theatre of the absurd, whose questions are uncertain, let alone its answers, this piece of theatre comes highly recommended. Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet that the function of art is to hold up a mirror to nature. Paper Swans holds up a mirror to each individual audience member’s mind. Answer with care…