PPP: The Swansong
★★★★☆ Emotional
Traverse: Tue 17 – Sat 21 Mar 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
The Swansong is undoubtedly one of the most impressive of Òran Mór’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint offerings to visit the Traverse in recent years.
Co-presented by the Gaiety, Ayr, it is written and directed by Eve Nicol, with music and lyrics by Finn Anderson, and based on a radio play by David Greig.
Julia Murray and Paul McArthur. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
A young woman (Julia Murray) is about to drown herself in a park duckpond, when a swan (Paul McArthur) mysteriously starts speaking to her. She can kill herself any time she wants to (just by clicking her fingers, swans have that kind of power) but first he encourages her to have one last blow-out.
The framing device for the narrative tells us it’s going to be a sad story and a happy one, and this is certainly borne out. There are obvious potential problems with tone in such a mixture of music, fairy tale elements and depictions of suicide, but the combination works beautifully.
Another drawback with some of these mini-musicals is that it isn’t always clear why they have to be musicals at all. Here, there is no such problem, with the songs completely integrated into the narrative.
deeply felt
There is unavoidably little in the way of backstory or of detailed exploration, but this ends up being a strength. The narrative is somewhat impressionistic at times, but the emotions depicted are very real. Indeed, when we start getting explanations for events, the fable-like elements fall away and it has less impact.
It’s a beautifully written piece, however, and excellently performed. McArthur’s blend of streetwise clubber and waterbird is very impressive, while Murray’s performance is deeply felt and thoroughly believable.
Paul McArthur and Julia Murray with Dale Parker. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
Anderson’s songs, full of bluesy melodies and blue emotions, are sung tremendously well by Murray and McArthur. Musical director Dale Parker provides excellent backing from the keyboard. The saxophone and flute of Rachel Duns, meanwhile, is an unexpected and wholly welcome element that takes the music into a whole new creative dimension.
a feeling of intimacy
Nicol’s direction is exactly right for the space, creating a feeling of intimacy. Heather Grace Currie’s set is very good at evoking a seedy club, but works surprisingly well as a duckpond. The way that McArthur is transformed from a bar employee to a swan through a simple change of shirt is also very impressive. Ross Nurney’s lighting and Mark Gillespie’s sound are appropriate and sympathetic.
A synopsis of this production runs the risk of making it sound arch or twee, which it decidedly is not. Neither, despite a welcome note of hope, is it ‘feelgood’ in any trite kind of way.
What it does have is that messy, expansive air that the best musicals often boast. The result is genuinely affecting.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED.
Tue 17 – Sat 21 Mar 2026
Lunchtime: 1pm (Trav 2).
Tickets and details: Returns only.
The Gaiety Theatre, Carrick St, Ayr KA7 1NU
Thurs 26 – Sat 28 March 2026
Two shows daily: 12noon & 6pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Rachel Duns. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
ENDS
