REVIEW: Swan Teeth
An entertaining and relatable deep dive into love’s complexities.
https://ayoungishperspective.co.uk/2025/02/23/reviewswan-teeth/
By Elspeth Chapman
Throughout ‘Swan Teeth’, Playwright and director Sofia JM Bitelli invited us into the messy, complicated world of relationships. The play followed Adam (Benjamin Finch) and Agnes (Josephine Moore), a young couple dealing with the aftermath of their breakup, while also diving into the struggles of Jack and Joan, the characters within Agnes’ play, who are going through a divorce in the 1950s. Through these parallel narratives, Swan Teeth broke down the messy dynamics of relationships, asking essential questions about how our emotional connections shape us and, ultimately, how they can tear us apart.
The evening began with poetry readings, with themes tied into Swan Teeth’s notes of love, heartbreak and friction. The poems were rich in imagery, emotive and thought provoking. The intimate setting of the Theatreship added to the overall atmosphere, making the whole evening feel more personal, which was ideal for reflecting on the themes of passion and tension.
Bitelli’s debut as both playwright and director showcased her understanding for the occasional need to ease the tension with light humour within scenes. The dialogue was insightful and often relatable for the audience, these lighter and sometimes awkward interactions between characters helped to give the audience a chance to laugh and relax. The humour felt real, coming from the characters’ awkwardness and the messiness of their relationships. Towards the end of the play Moore appeared as a ghost, it added to the hilarity of the story, but I can’t help but think it was oddly placed within the storyline.
Both Moore and Finch had good on-stage chemistry, they both played into their characters quirks and charms well. Throughout the scenes of tension and moments of intimacy, the pair worked well to keep the authenticity of their character’s love, this made it easy for the audience to connect and relate. Moore’s characters have a dominating presence throughout the play, while Finch’s moments of awkwardness and eccentricities help to lighten the darker moments.
Overall, Swan Teeth is a thoughtful and reflective look at love and the complexities of relationships. Bitelli’s writing and direction brought these themes to life in a way that feels personal yet relatable to everyone. While the pacing of the play felt rather choppy at times, it still provided an interesting take on the ups and downs of human connection. The play, much like its name, left an imprint on the audience, allowing us to reflect on the emotional messiness of relationships.
