The Swan

by Elizabeth Egloff

Dora Hand lives by herself in a suburb on the Nebraska prairie. She's gone through three husbands and now seems destined to play the lonely mistress to her married milkman, Kevin until a swan crashes into her living room window setting Dora on a harrowing journey. She names him Bill, and to all outward appearances, Bill is a charismatic and child-like man. At first endearing himself to Dora like a pet she can train, Bill quickly learns the ropes of being human: speech, dressing, checkers, beer and love for his mistress. All at once, Dora finds herself dangerously entangled with the swan, whose animal devotion to her threatens her already neglected lover and ultimately her sense of self.

Genres: Plays

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Aaron Piccirillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m so depressed.”

actual rating: 3.5/5

the way i don’t remember anything in this show when i was rereading it for the second time. it’s really interesting and confusing and i think it would be an interesting production to see. i didn’t realize how much the show talks about loneliness and the desire for human connection and i think those were the most interesting parts. i wish there was a little bit more to it because the ending seems like it comes out of no where but it’s definitely an interesting show.

[Cary S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, but deeply strange...

[Gwendolyn Winter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhhhhh

[Lila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh. Too weird for me.

[Vinita Dixit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very bizarre but in a “can’t look away” type of bizarre. It reminds be a bit of Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith. Very beautifully written. I found out the play was Egloff’s feminist spin/ response to the Greek myth Leda and the Swan (iykyk…)