Tit Swingers continues at the Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Two until 26 August 2024.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Such a raucous time with the Hellcats telling the tales of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, female pirates known for going into battle bare-breasted, in other words, as tit swingers!
Performed and written by Abey Bradbury (Mary) and Sam Kearney-Edwardes (Anne) they are joined by Max Kinder as Calico Jack. This trio is really tight (musically!) and more than a wee bit cheeky as they thrash out punk metal sea shanties with tongues firmly in cheek.
Their energy is infectious as they elaborate on the true stories of Bonny and Read, including their sexual ambiguity. Projections are used from time to time on a huge sail-like structure that also serves as a backcloth. One of their stories is how Mary was brought up as a boy, named ‘Mark’ by their parents to try and excuse their masculine ‘tendency’, complete with a moustache. The onstage moustache is blue, but they resist any link between Bluebeard/Bluetache! The story of the Black Spot is also told as part of things you never knew about the pirates’ backstory.
This is a really funny and rousing show and ‘Hot Girl Pirate Shit!’ is a great punk anthem that raises several voices in the audience. Great loud vulgar fun.
Fiona Orr
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