3.3 Swan Song

With the previous story ending with the discovery of time breaks inside the New Regency Theatre itself, "Swan Song" picks up right where 'Man at the End of the Garden' left off although not quite in the same time or place. Strange ghosts seem to be haunting the dark stage of the theatre and Jago is beginning to see strange visions of Shakespearean murder from the future. Most prominently, however, a young woman in a silver wheelchair named Alice is working to make contact from a different point in time and it might have disastrous consequences for all of reality....."Swan Song" is a fabulous story that provides some big revelations for the series arc as well as telling a strong narrative with fantastic classical undertones. The basis of the story as well as the arc is extremely tragic and while the premise sounds tediously supernatural on the surface, the story flips things on their head rather quickly. John Dorney's script is grand but deeply personal and there are strange undercurrents of "The Doctor's Wife" of all stories that surprise and linger in the listener's mind long after it's over. It also must be said that this story has one of the best scores I've ever heard in an audio with the subtle notes and themes of "Swan Lake" used in a brilliantly effective way. It makes "Swan Song" a joy to listen to even as some of the same flaws present with this series are still there. Once again, it doesn't feel like the main trio does enough to justify their involvement in the story though Jago's personal connection to the theater does get some nice time in the spotlight here. It brings out a lot from Christopher Benjamin particularly giving us a peek at his personal future and how he will be remembered. But the standout is once again in the side cast with Abigail Hollick giving an amazing performance as the titular young woman Alice that gets you deeply invested especially with her eventual fate. Hers is a major tour-de-force performance here and perhaps the highlight of the entire saga so far even as Benjamin, Baxter, and Jameson continue to do their damndest in their respective parts. What I found most enjoyable about this story, however, is its love of the theater in all its forms. It truly plays out like a tragic love story in the best possible way and the time it devotes to the magic of the onstage arts is really life-affirming. While it's certainly not a traditional Jago and Litefoot story in the slightest, I personally loved "Swan Song" and consider it a major highlight for the series. It's a shame that we immediately had to be drawn back to the main arc with an explosive cliffhanger as I could've stayed in the sultry notes of this audio forever. 

The trio find the time breaks in Jago's theatre. Scientists in the future are treated to an unexpected rendition of Shakespeare. The future and the past collide, the theatre comes alive. A step up from the previous two episodes. They seem to be getting more creative with the stories and bringing in influences from outside the Victorian era. Leela, scientists from the future and time breaks! I don't think there has been anything in 'Jago and Litefoot' as emotive as this, superb.

"Swan Song" finds the intrepid trio encountering ghosts from the future in a team of scientists whose lab was built on the site of Jago's theater and experimenting with time travel. The story has plenty of suspense as the meltdown of the future technology endangers the future of time itself. There's also the mystery of strange theatrical killings happening in the future.

At the same time, this John Dorney script is full of real characters, most notably a research scientist whose dreams of being a dancer were destroyed in auto accident and she has some wonderful and powerful scenes with Jago. The story also shows the real love Jago has for his theater and gives us a peak at its future. Overall, this is one of Jago and Litefoot's best.

I can't quite put into words how much I love this story. It made me laugh, it made me cry and somehow I found it all utterly beautiful and life-affirming. Just superb.