Some plays dazzle you from the first moment; Paper Swans enchants you gradually, drawing you into its strange, delicate world until you’re utterly spellbound.
Staged at Soho Theatre, this one-hour piece written and performed by Vyte Garriga is part absurdist theatre, part slow-motion ballet, part dream you don’t want to wake from. It begins quietly: a woman in a tutu folding paper swans on a park bench, a security guard trying to coax her away. They circle each other, again and again, caught in a looping encounter that subtly shifts with each repetition.
Our rating: 5/5
The magic lies in how it builds. Without realising, you’re pulled deeper into their hypnotic push and pull — so much so that when the actors finally take their bows, you’re startled the hour has flown by. Garriga is captivating to watch, every tiny movement charged with meaning, while Daniel Chrisostomou’s guard moves from comic to quietly heartbreaking. Director Simon Gleave keeps the staging minimalist, allowing the intensity of the performances to shine, and Nick Hart’s beautifully understated score adds a shimmer of atmosphere, weaving in echoes of Lithuanian folk music.
Paper Swans doesn’t offer easy answers. It invites you to reflect: on freedom, identity, trauma, the cycles we’re all caught in. Inspired by Vyte Garriga’s own experience as a Lithuanian artist in the UK, it’s a piece that lingers long after you’ve left the theatre — haunting, thought-provoking, and quietly bold.
If you’re craving an experience that’s both beautiful and layered, Paper Swans is not to be missed. It runs at Soho Theatre from 28 April to 3 May 2025. For tickets, visit sohotheatre.com.
