Writing
Much of James's writing has taken the form of the one-man play. His Frankenstein's Creature - a one-man reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - premiered at prestigious new-writing venue Theatre503 in 2015. It became a feature film in 2018, in honour of the novel's bicentenary, premiering at Cineworld Leicester Square as part of FrightFest.
In 2015, James also wrote Winter Gothic, a new version of Victorian theatrical warhorse The Bells - the play that made the reputation of Sir Henry Irving. This paved the way for Irving Undead, James's one-man play based on Irving's extraordinary life. Irving Undead had its critically acclaimed premiere at York Medical Society in October 2019; it is now available for touring. Three further one-man plays are also biding their time.
James's playwriting has often called on great literature. Principally, this has meant his Dickens triptych: Sikes & Nancy was drawn from Oliver Twist, Scrooge & Marley from A Christmas Carol (and Dickens's other Christmas writings), and Pickwick & Nickleby from The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby. An expanded Scrooge & Marley, revised in partnership with George Fouracres, enjoyed acclaim at the Waterloo East Theatre in 2013. And James's adaptations of the Christmas Books have played seasonal engagements at the Charles Dickens Museum since 2017.
On three occasions, James has tinkered with an opera libretto: devising on a prodigal scale for The Pantheon of Electric Beasties (SET, Amsterdam), fashioning monologues for In the Penal Colony (Arts Theatre, West End) and hatching Frosch business for Die Fledermaus (West Road Concert Hall). He has also served as an occasional writer for The York Dungeon, working on scripts for seasonal and street theatre.
Bottled Lightning is James's online production diary (now retired). The subjects covered are eclectic, ranging from theatrical experiences (rehearsals, images, non-specific angst) to long-running frustrations (usually the mention of ham acting, sometimes by David Mamet). Abidingly, though, James writes about his passions: the devilish and the grotesque; the Victorian melodrama and the classic horror film; Charles Dickens and Quentin Crisp and Anthony Newley and Christopher Lee. A full index of blog entries can be found in the Links section.
And then there's James's book on the great horror actors. It's proving a regular Labour of Hercules, but it's half done now.
In 2015, James also wrote Winter Gothic, a new version of Victorian theatrical warhorse The Bells - the play that made the reputation of Sir Henry Irving. This paved the way for Irving Undead, James's one-man play based on Irving's extraordinary life. Irving Undead had its critically acclaimed premiere at York Medical Society in October 2019; it is now available for touring. Three further one-man plays are also biding their time.
James's playwriting has often called on great literature. Principally, this has meant his Dickens triptych: Sikes & Nancy was drawn from Oliver Twist, Scrooge & Marley from A Christmas Carol (and Dickens's other Christmas writings), and Pickwick & Nickleby from The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby. An expanded Scrooge & Marley, revised in partnership with George Fouracres, enjoyed acclaim at the Waterloo East Theatre in 2013. And James's adaptations of the Christmas Books have played seasonal engagements at the Charles Dickens Museum since 2017.
On three occasions, James has tinkered with an opera libretto: devising on a prodigal scale for The Pantheon of Electric Beasties (SET, Amsterdam), fashioning monologues for In the Penal Colony (Arts Theatre, West End) and hatching Frosch business for Die Fledermaus (West Road Concert Hall). He has also served as an occasional writer for The York Dungeon, working on scripts for seasonal and street theatre.
Bottled Lightning is James's online production diary (now retired). The subjects covered are eclectic, ranging from theatrical experiences (rehearsals, images, non-specific angst) to long-running frustrations (usually the mention of ham acting, sometimes by David Mamet). Abidingly, though, James writes about his passions: the devilish and the grotesque; the Victorian melodrama and the classic horror film; Charles Dickens and Quentin Crisp and Anthony Newley and Christopher Lee. A full index of blog entries can be found in the Links section.
And then there's James's book on the great horror actors. It's proving a regular Labour of Hercules, but it's half done now.
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'Bitter, articulate, cunning monologue ... Puts himself and us through the wringer in a radical take on the text, playing up the misunderstood martyrdom of the creature but also flashing wily menace ... Swanton's creature performs an emotional - and physical - striptease, divesting himself of layers of male and female clothing as he unburdens himself (and burdens us) with the horrors of his situation ... An intriguing, valuable addition to the thriving filmography of Dr Frankenstein and All His Works' - Kim Newman on Frankenstein's Creature (2018)
'A captivating ninety-minute feat of physical and emotional character study … The most unlikely, obscure storytelling evening one could imagine … Moments of pure hilarity … Devastating dramatic irony … An intriguing, moving and remarkable piece of theatre' - Arts York on Irving Undead (York Medical Society, 2019) 'James Swanton gave strong spoken support. Taut and menacing, this staging conveyed its message powerfully' - The Observer on In the Penal Colony (Arts Theatre, West End, 2014) 'One of the best interpretations of all things Dickens I have ever seen ... Swanton has made some very clever lexical choices when scripting this production ... Swanton's brilliant performance and dramaturgical skills are thoroughly deserving of a large audience' - Bargain Theatreland on Sikes & Nancy (Trafalgar Studios, West End, 2014) |
'Swanton's Creature is much closer to Shelley's original: a thoughtful, sensitive, eloquent entity ... Swanton's soliloquised script (originally written as a play) brims with sophisticated verbal symmetries and echoing wordplay, at last giving voice to a Creature woven as much from his own words as from the parts of others' corpses ... A complex, paradoxical creation' - Projected Figures on Frankenstein's Creature (2018)
'A remarkable feat ... His face is as elastic as his voice in this tour-de-force solo show, where physicality, keen intelligence in editing, dark humour and chameleon acting skills all come into play, allied to his brilliant use of lighting' - The Press on Ghost Stories for Christmas (York Medical Society, 2018) 'And how lovely it was just to be told a story. Charlie D himself couldn't have done better. Swanton deserves extra credit here for his adaptation of Dickens' novella, mixing dialogue lifted from the text with carefully selected passages of descriptive prose to press Dickens' words into life' - The Tab (★★★★★) on Scrooge & Marley (ADC Theatre, 2011) 'The story is built up beautifully ... A perfect production of a Victorian penny dreadful, and it's testament to both Dickens and Swanton that the piece is as chilling and gripping today as when it was first performed' - The Upcoming on Sikes & Nancy (Trafalgar Studios, West End, 2014) |