Written by Freya McCall
Review by Marina Funcasta
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
A writer, a psychology professor and a doctor walk into a bar and… are greeted by the devil? In this fifty-minute interrogation, Jim, Mark and Pearl are forced to bargain for their life; or, as our seamy, satanic storyteller puts it, their afterlife. Whether they call upon the devil, or have her thrust upon them, neither Jim, Mark nor Pearl are prepared to give up without a fight.
Performing at eleven in the morning, Sins of the Mother certainly hits like a devilish double espresso. A frank exploration of moral turpitude, Freya McCall is unforgiving in her ethical undressing of three very different protagonists: a writer who sells his soul for fame, a doctor who dreams of creating a death-defying drug, and a father who just wants to save his daughter and ex-wife from oblivion, from love of others to love of self, the lines of morality are continuously blurred. In this, McCall does a good job of encouraging her audience to question their own ethical framework, reflecting on the blurry narratives we tell ourselves about who we are in the story of our lives. That is, until it’s too late.
These themes are fascinating, and funnelled by the deliciously camp Molly Gilbert, the performance mostly succeeds in balancing dark judgment with light entertainment. Gilbert’s performance is full of vitality, which is important provided her near-incessant presence on stage. Relying mostly on archetype, it is bittersweet that Gilbert’s role is written to be everything we expect her to be – deceitful, cruel and comically cold. While we do see her bend throughout the production, seeming teasing with Jim and despondent with Pearl, flickers of doubt as to her own morality are restricted to inaudible sighs and pauses. Jim, convincingly performed by Michael Butler, draws out a snippier edge with Gilbert, who is instead met with fire in her confrontation with the eponymous mother, Eve Nugent. It is interesting once considered the gender dynamic of these two women, and how it compares to the other duologues. Mark, played by McCall herself, is more mellow in her bargaining, for example. Regardless, neither character outwits Gilbert, leaving us to wonder whether the ‘sins of the mother’ in question isn’t perhaps concerning the Mother of Evil herself.
In general, I left the performance wanting more; tantalising in its themes and performances, I couldn’t help but wonder if a few scenes had been cut out in anticipation of the fifty-minute fringe mark. Structurally efficient, the three duologues spotlight each character in a very organised format. However, I did sense this to be a weakness overall, restricting the opportunity for character interaction, allowing the audience to make their own judgements on who is right and wrong in this dysfunctional family, the play would have felt much less like three case-studies if there had been more scenes allowing for ensemble performance.
This said, McCall and her actors present a captivating performance of a brilliant idea. Though perhaps a bit uneven, this play encompasses the true spirit of the Fringe: it’s dark, it’s daring, and it’s playful, much like the devil herself.
It’s Dark, It’s Daring, It’s Playful
Sins of the Mother runs at Bedlam Theatre
Running time: Sixty minutes without interval
Review by Marina Funcasta (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Marina is halfway through an English literature degree at Edinburgh University, wherein she has been (considerably) involved in the drama scene: enjoying performing with their Shakespeare Company shows, but also modern takes on Arthur Miller. However, Marina’s interests are wide-ranging under the theatre genre – enjoying abstract, more contemporary takes on shows (with a keen interest in Summerhall)
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