Review: Swan Teeth, Theatreship

Swan Teeth is the debut play of Sofia JM Bitelli, who is also making her directorial debut. It is a guest production at Theatreship, which is a really fabulous venue; a literal boat, docked within sight of the glittering towers of Canary Wharf. It contains a theatre space and bar which, while rugged, is really charming and a load bigger than you would imagine, feeling quite spacious. This was my first visit and I look forward to going back.

The evening gets off to a good start, with a poetry reading related to the key themes in Swan Teeth, namely love, conflict and heartache. Members of the creative team read poems they have composed which are published in a zine available to complement the play. There was lots of ‘mm’-ing and nodding around the bar as the poetry was ingested and appreciated. They are indeed largely well written, with some strong imagery, and provide a nice introduction to the evening to come.

It’s a shame, then, that this positive beginning was marred by a nearly 25-minute delay to the start of the play. There was no particular explanation, and I do understand these things happen, but I couldn’t help but feel it was socialising post-poetry rather than any technical hitch. Whatever it was, it’s just a shame to enter into any new experience from a place of boredom.

The title, Swan Teeth, is to do with their bite. It can really, really hurt, but might not leave a mark or any lasting damage. Translated into human relationships, it’s probably familiar to most people that the ups and downs of love feel all encompassing, like you are changed, until you have enough perspective to feel different and see that you are still yourself.

Swan Teeth shows the story of two relationships, one of which is based in a modern time, and the other being that of a couple in which the modern character, Agnes (Josephine Moore) has written in a play. Agnes’ play is quite meta, acknowledging that it is a fiction based on Agnes’ reality, and what Bitelli has written has a bite-sized flavour of the same, but not often. I wonder if it was meant to feel a bit less like a slice of life than it did, because one bizarre scene featuring a warbling ghost (also Moore) feels absurdly out of place.

As all four characters navigate their way through their relationships we see snippets of their time together. Before or after intimacy, moments of meeting, times when they figure out what is next. All of these are intricately written and reflect Bitelli’s experience writing poetry. But as an experience for an audience it feels as if we miss the moments of happening within the characters’ life, and only see the thoughtful aftermath and consequences. As a meditation on relationships it certainly works, but eventually feels drawn-out.

The cast of two, Moore and counterpart Benjamin Finch, each play a character in and out of the play written by Agnes. They have good on-stage chemistry, and dance around each other’s dialogue nicely – testament to capable direction by Bitelli. They inhabit a small-ish stage well, and Finch’s characters are particularly likeable, making me want to know and see more.

Swan Teeth offers some nice reflections on love, loss and life in relationships. I just missed seeing the characters be in the relationships and do things together, rather than simply hearing them mull it over.

Written and directed by: Sofia JM Bitelli
Produced by: Tatiana Martinez
Sound design by: Nara Garcia

Swan Teeth plays at Theatreship until Saturday 22 February.