Paul Swan is Dead and Gone

See it if you like your camp served up with a healthy dose of avant garde pretentions. You like great acting. You like shows in unusual spaces.

Don't see it if if you want pure camp or a show with a lot of pathos. It is smart and often very funny but it doesn't quite add up to much.

Also I'm not sure I completely understood this piece. One of the characters has a twin, maybe? Two other actors play multiple characters (maybe?) and much of it feels like filler. But it is all entertaining and visually engaging with an amazing performance by Tony Torn at the center.... Read more Read less

See it if if you are interested in the early 20Th Century avant garde culture

Don't see it if if you are a homophobe or easily bored

See it if you're down to contemplate your own mortality (and also absurdity) in an oh so intimate space

Don't see it if you'd rather watch a "play" play in a "theater" theater

Also the music, acting, and WRITING are killer. this piece has a heart and it will stick with you... Read more Read less

See it if You want to be dazzled. Paul Swan is Dead and Gone hurtles you back into the last century & forces you to confront the possibilities of camp

Don't see it if You are wedded to realism.

See it if you want something pretty radical and unique. Super cool ideas and performances. It’ll stay on your mind and give you plenty to talk about.

Don't see it if You want conventional, easy, passive theater.

See it if So entertaining. Performances are all excellent, especially Mr. Torn and Mr. Johanson. Beautiful writing, witty/wise and heartbreaking.

Don't see it if You feel uncomfortable watching theater or performers in an intimate setting.

Also The show celebrates camp through wonderful humor and wit, and it's songs are both incredibly moving and delightful in their composition and performance. I felt transported to one of Paul Swan's Carnegie Studio salons in an evening that felt like an aging reclusive artist's recital that went off the rails and devolved into a post death exploration on loss and legacy. No straight forward biography play, though we do learn pivotal information about what drove him and his life's high points and tragedies, the writer uses him as a lens to explore those who strive to make art, at what cost they do it, and why. Ending was heartbreaking. Highly recommended.... Read more Read less