When it comes to men, Dora (Whitney Ellis) is accommodating to a fault. Married milkman Kevin (Matthew Anderson) is merely the latest in a long line of users and losers. Then one day a swan crashes against her window. As she nurses it back to health, it transmogrifies into a man, though retaining some cygnine essence. She calls him Bill (Nick Napoli), and together they learn an entirely new way to love.<\/p>\n
Although supposedly playwright Elizabeth Egloff based The Swan on the Greek legend of Leda and the Swan, the connection is a red herring. Yes, both have a woman being visited by and having some sort of carnal relations with a swan that is more than simply avian \u2014 but there endeth the parallels. The Swan is one of those works of art that functions partly on a level of pointing in certain directions leaving it to the consumer to fill in the blanks. Although plenty of people are okay with this, some of us prefer a more definitive approach. If The Swan does have anything specific to say, it\u2019s along the lines of: Real love is where you and the other meet each other halfway.<\/p>\n
In his director\u2019s notes, Rory Cowan indicates that while he\u2019s fine with the audience\u2019s \u201clayer[ing] in their own interpretations,\u201d his \u201cfocus [is] on the characters\u2019 emotional experiences [and] unearthing [the play\u2019s] humor.\u201d With a cast of just three, The Swan is heavy lifting for the actors, all three of whom are called upon to range from high drama to low humor, quiet intimacy to loud absurdisms. While everyone is good in their gentler moments, too often the males turn the amp up to 11 and leave it there. To be sure, the script gives plenty of opportunities for going over the top \u2014 and often the cast is effective here; but pegging the meter so consistently flattens the overall dynamics.<\/p>\n
As with the Garage\u2019s last show, the scene changes here are a problem. Along those lines, on several occasions \u2014 often enough that it may not have simply been an off night \u2014 props were placed curiously and inconveniently, leaving the actors needing to reposition them while the lights were up and the scene underway. Additionally, the opening swan-crash into the window doesn\u2019t come off, resulting in confusion about what\u2019s transpired until a bit of exposition clears it up.<\/p>\n
But all in all this is a good-looking show. Despite the fact that the action is confined to Dora\u2019s small house, Emily Formentini (in her first set design for the Garage?) has given the cast a great sandbox to play in, which McLeod Benson bathes in some unexpected hues; and the action climaxes in a lovely tableau.<\/p>\n
The Swan at the Garage Theatre
Times: Thursday\u2013Saturday 8:00 p.m.
The show runs through September 26.
Cost: $23\u2013$28 (Thursdays 2-for-1); closing night w\/afterparty: $40
Details: thegaragetheatre.org
<\/a>Venue: The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach<\/p>\n