Billed as “a dark, physical, absurd, tango-themed comedy”, The Swan, The Werewolf and Gianpiero had its premiere at the COLAB Theatre last night while the England vs Argentina World Cup match was on screen next door. It’s essentially a three-hander with intrigue, drama and madness at its heart, directed by Krystian Godlewski.
Agata Nielsen and Esteban Mereles play the warring lovers and dance partners, Roxana and Mateo, whose relationship falls apart five minutes before they are due to take to the stage. Their aggressive tango impresses vain impresario Gianpiero (James Wilkinson), a man who thinks the world revolves around him and his genius.
Running at just 45 minutes – it started 15 minutes later than the advertised time of 8pm and finished at 9pm – this play has a lot of ideas which are teased but not fully developed. The dancing is good; the drama doesn’t quite match it. Tango is startling, expressive, passionate.
The idea of Gianpiero toying with the performers to create his realistic and disturbing art fits in with that theme, but doesn’t quite take flight beyond a couple of conversations that become convoluted and unnecessary.
There are many motifs and plots in The Swan, The Werewolf and Gianpiero. Love, lust, accusations, anger, petulance, passion – and a gold circlet which seems to be significant but is quickly forgotten. There’s a secret marriage, a gun that may or may not be real, bars of gold, and some stunning costumes for Nielsen.
Chaos, ambition, and the tango blend to create the show. Now, tango is often described as “a collaborative conversation or moving meditation”, where body language is the primary driver. In this play, tango is a small part of proceedings, with long scenes devoted to Gianpiero’s plotting and preening.
I wanted absurdity, but found the play stopped short of really diving into the farcical elements of the situation. All three performers show elements of comedic skill, but this story was unsure whether it was taking inspiration from Carmen, Swan Lake, Tosca or all at once. It is planned to develop this into a film, which may give the ideas more scope and depth.
At the moment, this play feels unfinished (The Swan and The Werewolf plot is very quickly dealt with at the end), and unfocused, but it has enough promise to suggest it can grow in the future.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars in its current form.
The Swan, The Werewolf and Gianpiero was at COLAB Theatre on 16 Jul. It is also showing at the Camden Fringe [22-24 Aug, Etcetera] and Voila! Theatre Festival [12 & 15 Nov, Playground].
For more details see dramaqueenstudios.co.uk.