Swing! Swing! ADMIRAL BYNG! By Christpher Swann.

Swing! Swing! ADMIRAL BYNG! The chant taunted Admiral Byng when he was defeated in the Battle of Minorca by the French fleet. Upon returning to England, he was court-martialled and sentenced to be shot. Christopher Swann brings the lesser-known Admiral Byng to life in his play.

Peter Tate takes the lead as the ill-fated Admiral Byng, whose heavy heart is coming to terms with his fate and counting down the hours on board the ship. The relationship with his sister, Sarah (Corrina McDermott), was strong, and the chemistry on stage felt natural and affectionate between them.

James Shenoi plays the “lowly” seaman who has known the Admiral for many years. Although he may appear to have a low status and be classed as less intelligent, he knows everything that is going on and understands a lot more than he is credited for. We learn towards the end of the play about his plans for after he retires, which are now the one thing that the Admiral would like to be able to have and knows he can’t.

However, the lengthy production drew out the proceedings of Admiral Byng’s fate too long. In the time he was reflecting and talking to the fellow ship crew and his sister, I would like to have learned more about his past or more reflection about his ambitions to venture into a life at sea. Instead, there’s a lot of repetitive narrative. When Voltaire appears in his dream, I couldn’t see the relevance, especially as there’s a lot of negative narrative about the French.

From a historical perspective, the story opens up a part of the naval history that has been relegated to the history books and “Davy Jones locker” and shows how cruel the fate to those in charge if they fail to be victorious.

Unfortunately, the final week of the run has been cancelled. However, for more information about future productions at The Playground Theatre, please use the link below. There is also an attached link about the life of Admiral John Byng for anyone who might be interested in finding out more about his life and career.