Love The Sinner – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

The Seven Deadly Sins are sometimes known as capital vices and it’s appropriate that writer and performer Imogen Stirling chooses a fever dreamscape of Glasgow as a backdrop. She says it’s ‘Glasgow-but-not-quite’ but two key components of the play are a big river and an awful lot of rain. It’s a landscape reminiscent of Alasdair Grey’s Lanark, each sinner – it might be said – redolent of the characters in David Keenan’s ‘This Is Memorial Device’ set just down the road in Coatbridge and Airdrie. Officially North Lanark. They each employ their own strategies to deal with life’s perceived flaws, but the stars of Stirling’s second book of poetry, Sloth, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Pride, Lust and Wrath, share something in common in that they are all, apparently, isolated. It’s no surprise to learn that the book from which the production stemmed had its origins in lockdown. But are their coping strategies really ‘sins’? The rapier wit and observation of Stirling’s meter was amusing and entertaining but on occasion felt sharp enough to be unfair and contemptuous. Is Netflix a sin or a guilty pleasure… and it’s actually tricky to manage modern life while avoiding social media, unless you live off-grid in a croft somewhere. Then again, the deadly sins have their roots in religion for which a multitude of everyday things are sinful! Wrath encapsulated it best, completely confused by the conflicting advice, suggestions and instructions one receives in triplicate on a daily basis from innumerable sources.

First and foremost though this was a fantastic immersive experience, the soundtrack courtesy of Sarah Carton and Sonia Killman excellently complimenting the set and lighting. At points one could have been forgiven for standing up to dance but given recent audience-related issues in some of the UK’s theatres everyone remained politely seated. A shame, as Matthew Lenton’s Director Note actually finishes with the line ‘it’s poetry you can dance to…’ As Stirling explains in the Writer’s Note, it developed as a result of her touring at literary events and music festivals, leading to her ‘experimenting with video and electronic music… a way of presenting my poetry that felt playful, evocative and visceral.’ Secondly, as we left the theatre there was a feeling that the strongest character to emerge was the city itself; Tinseltown In The Rain.

Reviewer: Roger Jacobs

Reviewed: 16th May 2023

North West End UK Rating: