What happens when you keep repeating the same pattern, over and over? You either get stuck, or you dance.
 
It may be a truism that people tend to seek out new interests when they are faced with, or have experienced a change in life so monumental that they choose to do something outside of their own personal norm. This is certainly the case for Mae (Janet Moran) and Joe (Steve Blount). It’s Mae’s first go at swing dancing, and she’s there filling the time while her boyfriend’s away; Joe has been at it a while, having taken it up after the family printing business, and his entire life, collapsed in the recession. Both are at a crossroads, and if that’s not the most perfect place for a dance, where is?
 
The class is full of ‘types’, and director Peter Daly keeps the pace brisk whilst enabling us to get a handle on the personalities. Moran and Blount play all the roles, a familiar trope that is enlivened by the great heart of the piece, by its honesty, and its breadth: we’ve got everything here from the pain of missing emigrated relations to the shame of loss in the financial crisis, straight through to hope, emotional risk, and most of all, the joy that comes from taking a chance on trying something new, and mastering it. Funny, warm, and well produced, with a rousing finale that’s enough to make you kick up your own heels, Swing is another rousing Show in a Bag success.

Star rating: ★★★★★