Audience Reviews
"My husband, daughter and I went to see this show on the spur of the moment and back to back with another show yesterday. I'm so glad that we did as this has been the best show we've seen at the Fringe so far! The set, writing and acting was superb and we were totally enthralled with the play from start to finish. A very thought provoking subject too. I've now found out that they will be touring in Yorkshire (where I live) with the show they performed last year at the Fringe, Spillikin, so I will be booking up for that in November too!"
Susan Francis
Susan Francis
"Brilliant play, superbly acted, couldn't fault this, thoroughly recommend it, best play I've seen so far this week."
Nigel Pallace
"First off, anyone who does anything technical in theater needs to get to Swivelhead immediately! The set is complex and fully realized, no mean feat in a festival setting. It would be perfectly at home in an off Broadway space. Beyond the set (and lighting, sound design, videography, etc) this is a beautifully written and even more beautifully performed play. The central character pulls off the sort of jokes which could be offensive from another man with charm and aplomb, and draws the audience into his world and his mind effortlessly.
Quite literally, I can say that I laughed, I cried, I even enjoyed the scenery. I know this is said a lot, but this is the best thing I've seen at the Fringe."
Anne Liberman
Nigel Pallace
"First off, anyone who does anything technical in theater needs to get to Swivelhead immediately! The set is complex and fully realized, no mean feat in a festival setting. It would be perfectly at home in an off Broadway space. Beyond the set (and lighting, sound design, videography, etc) this is a beautifully written and even more beautifully performed play. The central character pulls off the sort of jokes which could be offensive from another man with charm and aplomb, and draws the audience into his world and his mind effortlessly.
Quite literally, I can say that I laughed, I cried, I even enjoyed the scenery. I know this is said a lot, but this is the best thing I've seen at the Fringe."
Anne Liberman
"This is the fourth show from Pipeline and it's a fantastic piece of writing with moving performances and a very clever set which uses projection, split levels and lighting to switch between locations.
The bells and whistles make it quite a stand out show but The quality of the writing and acting would shine through even without the ingenuity of the set and the beautiful puppetry.
It was a high point in my visit to the Fringe and definitely worth seeing."
Claire Marshall
"Great show, thought provoking and incredibly entertaining. Other reviews have mentioned how well it captivates and engages the audience, and they aren't wrong.
I was only at the fringe for the day and very happy that I was able to see this show. The acting is superb and the set is brilliant, every aspect of this piece of theatre was really well put together. Funny and witty at moments, whilst dark and gripping at others, this is definitely one to see!"
Tom
"I've been lucky to catch a number of shows (over 20) at this years fringe and a few of them truly great pieces of theatre but the one that gripped me the most, and seemingly the other 50+ enthralled audience members was Swivelhead. The second you walk into the theatre the set is so impressive and intriguing to say the least, you feel in very safe hands. As one of the biggest and most ambitious sets in Edinburgh this year, it pulls off something very special and exciting. But it's not just the set that is fantastic - the play starts and the dialogue begins and I certainly felt I was going to be in for an enjoyable 1hr 10. and I was right! Great script, flowing, witty, insightful, touching and the 3 superb actors really do the characters justice. It's an incredibly human and relevant piece about very real themes and topics that had me in hysterics and almost has me in tears in many places."
Cannot recommend highly enough, one the best pieces of theatre I've seen in my 3 years at the fringe."
Felix Garcia
"Best crafted show that I saw. Ingenious set, nuanced script, engaging cast. More depth than the synopsis suggests. I highly recommend booking."
Jeremy Read
"I didn't know what to expect from Swivelhead but was riveted from the start - as was the rest of the audience judging by the stillness and concentration from everyone. The staging, the writing, the acting were all excellent - I had no idea where the play was leading but it held me throughout and I left feeling quite emotional. This was the best production I saw during my four days in Edinburgh and it really stands out as something quite powerful and thought-provoking - and quite different. Go see."
Dinah Bromwich
The bells and whistles make it quite a stand out show but The quality of the writing and acting would shine through even without the ingenuity of the set and the beautiful puppetry.
It was a high point in my visit to the Fringe and definitely worth seeing."
Claire Marshall
"Great show, thought provoking and incredibly entertaining. Other reviews have mentioned how well it captivates and engages the audience, and they aren't wrong.
I was only at the fringe for the day and very happy that I was able to see this show. The acting is superb and the set is brilliant, every aspect of this piece of theatre was really well put together. Funny and witty at moments, whilst dark and gripping at others, this is definitely one to see!"
Tom
"I've been lucky to catch a number of shows (over 20) at this years fringe and a few of them truly great pieces of theatre but the one that gripped me the most, and seemingly the other 50+ enthralled audience members was Swivelhead. The second you walk into the theatre the set is so impressive and intriguing to say the least, you feel in very safe hands. As one of the biggest and most ambitious sets in Edinburgh this year, it pulls off something very special and exciting. But it's not just the set that is fantastic - the play starts and the dialogue begins and I certainly felt I was going to be in for an enjoyable 1hr 10. and I was right! Great script, flowing, witty, insightful, touching and the 3 superb actors really do the characters justice. It's an incredibly human and relevant piece about very real themes and topics that had me in hysterics and almost has me in tears in many places."
Cannot recommend highly enough, one the best pieces of theatre I've seen in my 3 years at the fringe."
Felix Garcia
"Best crafted show that I saw. Ingenious set, nuanced script, engaging cast. More depth than the synopsis suggests. I highly recommend booking."
Jeremy Read
"I didn't know what to expect from Swivelhead but was riveted from the start - as was the rest of the audience judging by the stillness and concentration from everyone. The staging, the writing, the acting were all excellent - I had no idea where the play was leading but it held me throughout and I left feeling quite emotional. This was the best production I saw during my four days in Edinburgh and it really stands out as something quite powerful and thought-provoking - and quite different. Go see."
Dinah Bromwich
"Just saw Swivelhead today and highly recommend it. The script is gripping and the cast are superb. Furthermore, the set and technical effects are the calibre of a mainstage production rather than something you'd expect to see at a bare bones fringe (I can't imagine how they turn it around between shows.) Excellent theatre; don't miss it."
Bonnie Hutchinson
Bonnie Hutchinson
“Thought provoking writing & excellent acting- so glad we went to see Swivelhead. Up Helly-Aa!”
Sara Hood
Sara Hood
"Razor-sharp writing, flawless acting and inventive stage production. On my first ever visit to the Fringe, this is what I was hoping to find, and Swivelhead delivered it in spades."
Very highly recommended.
Michael Devery
"Don't miss this excellent new piece of well written and superbly acted play.
We were stopped in the street by the director/writer and the enthusiasm displayed convinced us to see Swivelhead. Serious, funny, thought provoking , intense at times so get along and support a talented bunch"
Jeffrey Deans
Very highly recommended.
Michael Devery
"Don't miss this excellent new piece of well written and superbly acted play.
We were stopped in the street by the director/writer and the enthusiasm displayed convinced us to see Swivelhead. Serious, funny, thought provoking , intense at times so get along and support a talented bunch"
Jeffrey Deans
"A really thought-provoking presentation. Both the claustrophobic atmosphere of the OPS-cabin of a Reaper crew, and the leafiness of a rural English garden are conjured up by the set and clever use of multi-media. The show adroitly uses the space to present a multitude of views of the development of the main character, Squadron Leader Paddy Atkinson-Ward AKA Beep. This is a man who enthusiastically participates in the rough and tumble banter of service life but this hides a dark past. This dark past, and the pressures of job that involves long periods of monotony punctuated with short bursts of intense and deadly action combine to distort the characters' personality from affable machismo to .... well watch the play and see!!
Good cast who act together really tightly, well paced drama, clever set and use of multimedia, and dark humour. I loved it."
Robin Frost
Good cast who act together really tightly, well paced drama, clever set and use of multimedia, and dark humour. I loved it."
Robin Frost
"What a fantastic new play. Powerful and thought provoking whilst also being laugh out loud funny. We were completely absorbed by the quality of the writing and acting and the really interesting issues it connects with and explores and wholeheartedly recommend it."
Mary Brennan
Mary Brennan
"Our first visit to the Fringe and our first show and what a show; the acting was memorising and the subject thought provoking, funny, sad and absorbing in equal measure. Would recommend to all and hope the rest live up to this one."
James Jones
James Jones