Scotland

The Tailor of Inverness – Traverse Theatre

The Tailor of Inverness is not so much about the capital of the North or about the profession of tailoring, rather it is about identity, about truth (or lack of it) and about home. Actor/writer Matthew Zajac plays his own father and then himself as well as multiple other characters in between, in an absolute tour de force, a performancenot to be missed.

History is written by the winners, as they say, and for the Tailor, winning was always going to be measured by simply being alive at the end of the Second World War, by whatever means possible. A history lesson, a geography lesson, a survival lesson. A story told how the titular tailor would like to have you believe it, followed by the truth, told by the son who eventually draws all the threads together, however unpalatable.

The structure of this play is complex, so it is best to know the three main characters in advance. There is the old man, the tailor of Inverness, who wears glasses and talks in a Polish lilt, with cute Scottish phrases sprinkled in. When the glasses are removed, we see the younger version of the man, in Poland during the Second World War, displaced until he eventually, at the end of the war, ends up in Scotland. Finally, we have the son, who talks in an unaccented voice and tells the truth of what actually happened, as he researches his father’s past and his unexpected genealogy, a half-sister that he never knew.

There is significant cross-cutting, flashbacks and interweaving of the characters which can make the play downright confusing at times. However, this complexity is also part of the playful multi-layered, abstract charm of the piece. In any case, Zajac’s absolute commitment to the narrative in whatever voice he is telling it, ensures that, for the majority of the time at least, this has a shark-like forward momentum.

The slick setting, which includes video projection and live violin accompaniment, brilliantly played throughout by Gavin Marwick, also helps to propel the piece along at a lick. A collage / painted backdrop of a huge pile of hundreds of faded striped costumes, hints towards the horror of the holocaust. Video projection onto ‘the pile’ allows translation from native Polish. On a much lighter note, the use of tailoring props is a real joy here; mannequins become ex-girlfriends and dance partners, whirling clothes rails become locomotives, jackets and shirts become German generals or young Jewish boys, lost in the abacus of the rail.

Despite the somewhat ruminative, indulgent and documentary style of the last twenty minutes, this can be forgiven for all the great things here, the wonderful creation that is ‘the tailor’, the sublime music accompaniment, the playful and sombre set and the cleverness of the script. And, of course, the fantastic and breathless central performance.

The three-night run in Edinburgh is completely sold out, unsurprisingly. Which is a real shame, because I know lots of people who would absolutely love this!

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 14th November 2024

North West End UK Rating: