Swindle & Death
Mull Theatre
How might a Scottish Arts Council (SAC) report on this production read?
More importantly, how much entertainment does it provide to those with no interest whatsoever in such things, and simply want a good night out?
"An uneven play
- part madcap
black comedy,
part rant...
the conclusion
is unsatisfying"
Playwright Peter Arnott has written an uneven play - part madcap black comedy, part rant - about a thoroughly bizarre and unmistakably Scottish touring theatre company.
Brian Swindle and Eric Death bring tales of high drama to grateful audiences in out-of-the-way locations, without a penny of funding or any reviews in The Herald. When a spy from the SAC arrives to investigate, the continued existence of Swindle & Death initially appears to be threatened.
There are plenty of laughs in the 'vulgar tartanism' of the extracts we see from the company's repertoire, thanks to the efforts Hamish Wilson as Swindle and Barrie Hunter and Sarah Haworth as his two very strange actors. Helen McAlpine is also excellent as the self-important, idealistic infiltrator, squeezing comedy out of thin, one-note material.
The play's second half drags on, sorely lacking in laughs and momentum. After countless hints relating to the central mystery behind the company's formation and continued existence, the conclusion is unsatisfying.
It seems fair to say that Arnott feels pretty strongly about the priorities of those dishing out funding for the arts. He perhaps expresses this best not via the dialogue itself but rather by the fact that he has written a play for such a narrow audience – himself and his peers in the arts world. What better way to stick two fingers up to an organisation he perceives to be obsessed with 'inclusion'?
A version of this review first appeared in The Herald
Shona Craven
Until June 14 at Tron Theatre, Glasgow, June 16 2008 at Auchtermuchty Church Hall, June 17 2008 at Ladybank Community Church Hall, June 18 2008 at St Monans Town Hall, June 19-20 2008 at Byre Theatre, St Andrews, June 21 2008 at Glenmoriston Millennium Hall, June 23 2008 at Ardross Community Hall, June 24 2008 at Lyth Arts, June 25 2008 at Carnegie Hall, Clashmore, June 26 2008 at Torridon Community Hall, June 27 2008 at Ballachulish Village Hall, June 28 2008 at Druimfin, Tobermory.
www.mulltheatre.com
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The List:
* "The weakness is not in Arnott’s vision... but in his failure to turn the conflict between art and bureaucracy into convincing drama."
The Scotsman:
*** "Immensely messy and complex... if audiences enjoy this overlong satire, I fear it's partly for the worst of reasons"
