Flying with Swans
Flying with Swans
Oran Mor, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
The clocks have gone back, the year is on the turn and overhead, the skies are beginning to fill with migrating swans. On land, or rather on a ferry bound for Arran, are three game old birds: they're re-uniting in memory of their childhood pastime - chasing departing swans, in hopes of holding onto tail feathers and flying off to exotic climes.
The briskly efficient Dolly (Anne Kidd) has made that dream a reality: her next trip is to the Galapagos. Jean (Kay Gallie), however, has fey moments when she's not sure of where she is. When she does remember, it's with a haunted awareness of how joyless life now is, under her daughter's anxious eye. Mona (Karen Ramsay) is still the wild child, but that's maybe because she doesn't take the pills they give her in the care home.
Jack Dickson's script provides a rollicking good opportunity for these three richly experienced hands to roll out the kind of comic timing that can turn a pause into a punchline, a throwaway aside into a killer barb and a running gag into a whole relay team of jokes. There's more to all this, of course, than just a "carry on doon the watter", or a female version of Still Game.
Director Alison Peebles ensures the laughter doesn't exclude the bitter-sweet ache that comes with growing old and feeling at a loss - dreams and lovers, health and happiness, all beginning to disappear over the horizon, like the swans.
So, yes, there is a dying fall laced through the hilarity, but there's such glee and mischief - and such wickedly good performances - that the nip in the play seems to hit home more intensely in the cold autumnal air outside.
Sponsored by Heineken
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article