Swan Song heads for Unity Theatre at start of socially distanced 2020 tour
Jonathan Harvey’s bittersweet one-man play Swan Song is set to go on tour this winter with Andrew Lancel reprising his performance first seen at the Liverpool Theatre Festival last month.
The tour opens with four socially distanced performances at the Unity Theatre next month – the first time the Hope Place venue has hosted a show for a live audience since lockdown saw theatres shut in March.
It will then go on to the Dukes at Lancaster, Alty Fringe at the Garrick Theatre in Altrincham, the Cresset in Peterborough and Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre.
It’s Christmas 1997, the world is changing and in the staff room, gay, 40-something, English teacher Dave Titswell finds that not all change is welcome. He has a crush, but life, love, and work are never straight forward for Dave. Will a school trip to the Lakes change things for the better, or make things decidedly worse?
Swan Song was originally staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1997, before transferring to Hampstead Theatre with award-winning comedy actress Rebecca Front in the lead role.
Harvey adapted the 70-minute play specially for Liverpool Theatre Festival at the Bombed Out Church, with Andrew Lancel directed by Noreen Kershaw.
Above: Swan Song opens at the Unity.
Top: Andrew Lancel in Swan Song. Photo by David Munn.
The actor said today: ““The last play I saw before lockdown was Jonathan Harvey’s Our Lady of Blundellsands at the Everyman, which I loved.
"So it’s very cool, and a little ironic, that my first play back is with Jonathan. We’ve known each other for years and have worked together a lot but never on stage, so it’s humbling that he's adapted this play for me.
“It’s very funny, moving, and I think people will really relate to it today. His characters are literally a gift to play and to watch.
“This play is about reuniting too. Reuniting theatre and audiences with live performance is extra special. To be back with Epstein producer Bill Elms is a buzz, and I’ve worked on some very serious storylines on Corrie with Noreen Kershaw. It feels like coming home for us all in so many ways.”
Along with the winter 2020 dates, a longer tour planned for spring 2021.
Swan Song is at the Unity Theatre on November 20-21 at 5pm and 7.45pm each day. Tickets HERE