Elf Lyons: Swan comedy review – Sublime silliness
Mastering dance and whimsy in a perfect package, Lyons continues to ride high
If Franglais (combining English with le tres, tres, tres bad Française) was a playground rite of passage during your school days, then you really should get yourself down to the Hetzel Room at The State Library to hear Elf Lyons shouting it at you while prancing around for a full hour. If it wasn’t, even better: you’ve a whole new treat in store. Swan is Lyons’ version of Swan Lake, all 15 hours and seven minutes of it, in French, with plies, tendus and ronds de jambe all very much included. Indeed, there are plenty of jambes to enjoy as Lyons flings her long legs around the stage to demonstrate the finer points of choreography or plot. Along the way are sly digs at gender roles within dance, questions about what kind of body types get to enjoy it and a take-down of contemporary dance that is both exceptionally funny and very much en pointe. All of which is to say, Tchaikovsky would never. Mais he is MORT!
Lyons is the consummate silly duck but, as with anything that feels this easy to watch and enjoy, underneath sits a mastery of detail: timing, costumes (a bit of business involving her entire underwear drawer shall not be spoilered but is flipping terrific), props, crowd-work are all pretty much faultless. In her own words, Lyons is indeed la boss: of dance, of daft and of having a delightful time. Bravo maestro, bravo.
Elf Lyons: Swan continues at the Hetzel Room at the Courtyard of Curiosities at the State Library until March 22; picture: Karla Gowlett.