The Swell Mob

My expectations of this piece of immersive theatre were high, as its reputation for being a ‘masterpiece’ and the promise of ‘transporting’ me preceded its showing. It is sold as a clever mix of physical theatre, puppetry, clowning and character acting.

The Swell Mob is the brainchild of Flabbergast Theatre which first emerged at the Edinburgh Fringe. It is directed by Henry Maynard, who himself is part of the acting troupe.

On arrival one is ushered into a dimly lit ‘taproom’ complete with gin bar, full of very seedy, mysterious characters straight out of the darker side of mid 1800s London. We are given a few gold coins and some notes with which we are told to spend, gamble or trade as we wander about. The audience members are surrounded by characters who  maintain their personas throughout, telling their stories privately to audience members who will listen, or screeching like a banshee across the murky room. The costuming is faultless and the makeup and hair of the performers excellent.

During our 75 minute stay we meet gamblers, palm readers, tricksters, poets, singers and the odd sprinkling of characters whose erratic behaviours are quite unsettling. I am told that ‘the more I put into the experience the more I would get out of it’. Supposedly there are clues and secrets to unfold and the interactions are all improvised- no two performances are the same.

Some highlights in Swell Mob were the beautiful tones of an opera singer, the poetry and silly jokes of one of the shady characters and a fully choreographed boxing match, complete with betting by the audience.  The individual one on one interactions were excellent- the screeching ‘Penny’ who ‘welcomed us’ and continued to alternate between spasmodically bellowing at people and smiling ghoulishly was very entertaining. The puppeteer was extremely creepy and intriguing. The gambler Jacob had great stories to tell. A character in green who lurked all night, appearing almost to control the action, fascinated me- a female ‘ringmaster’ who held this eclectic group in her control.

However, I felt the brilliance of the actors was no match for the very restrictive space. Had there been less audience members, more participation and investigation could have been had. I myself found it very difficult to move about and actually ‘get close’ to the action at times. There were also small side rooms curtained off and on one occasion I saw a couple be taken inside by the palm reader, but for most of the show the others remained empty, begging the question of their purpose.

I tried very hard to open myself up to this world, both as an observer and a participant, but felt at times there were lulls in the action where I was left wondering what to do other than to drink my wine purchased at the sleazy bar. I couldn’t find a through line- a narrative that held the performance together. In places it jarred, then at other times was funny and mysterious, but overall, I felt the space didn’t work for the performers despite their amazing skills.

Shelley Hampton

Photographer: Rod Penn

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