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Tit Swingers

 
Katerina Partolina Schwartz Review by Katerina Partolina Schwartz 3 Published: 2 Sep 2024 Pleasance Courtyard Show Dates: 31 Jul 2024-26 Aug 2024

Causing mayhem onstage rather than on the seven seas, Tit Swingers is a show that recounts the tale of the pirate queens Mary Read (Abey Bradbury) and Anne Bonney (Sam Kearney-Edwardes), an experience of potent anarchism where the Hellcats raise absolutely hell.

An experience of potent anarchism where

Biographical in nature, we’re taken through history and legend into the lives of Read and Bonney. Between the highly dense rock anthems, we’re given a glimpse into how the pair became pirates and the hot girl pirate sh*t that they got up to. This show is less of a musical and more of a gig as Read and Bonney spin their tales and sing their shanties, recognition of their exploits that is far too belated. There’s a narrative told through the banter between Bradbury and Kearney-Edwardes, but the entire set-up puts the focus on the songs.

Through its celebration of these women, Tit Swingers becomes a protest against the status quo, prevalent in every aspect. There’s a constant defiance and anger that is a strong undercurrent throughout the entire show, but the energy that it creates quickly evaporates beyond the fourth wall. As foot-stompingly catchy as the songs are, we don’t get particularly fired up by them, which could be attributed to a number of things. The volume of the instruments is the main issue, as they drown out Bradbury and Kearney-Edwardes’ voices so that we lose a lot of the lyrics and context, and we lose a lot of the story and the show becomes just loud rather than showcasing any of the lyrical dexterity that we only get snippets of.

Read and Bonney may not have had their own shanty, but Tit Swingers is a uproarious middle finger that we can only assume the pair would approve of.

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The Blurb:

Anne Bonney and Mary Read – polyamorous queer pirates that got the title Hellcats of the Seven Seas for their various vicious and notorious crimes… but you probably know them best as them female pirates that fought with their tits out… Well they’re tired of living in the shadow of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd and Calico Jack – the Tit Swingers are here to write their own sea shanties, become legends and do some hot girl pirate shit! Oh, and bring some earplugs – it’s gonna be loud… A new queer punk gig musical (with added pirates).