Jeremy Welch reviews Salty Irina at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The play is set in some non-defined Northern European city where there have been a series of murders, all the murdered are foreigners, all recent immigrants.
Irina, played by Yasemin Ozdemir, arrives at her apartment and the steps are steeped in blood, obviously the result of another murder.
Anna, a squat tenant, played by Hannah van der Westhuyen, fall into conversation about the recent murders in this culturally diverse part of the city. As their friendship develops their political narrative is also shared and found to be compatible.
That compatibility of politics leads from a nascent sense of deeper friendship into a Sapphic relationship. Between them they decide to track down the killers who they suspect are not, as the police suspect, a mafia group.
The couple believe the killers are part of a right-wing fellowship attending a right-wing musical festival outside of town.
They decide to attend and there meet one of the fellowship, played by Francesca Knight, who introduces them into the creed and thinking of the far right.
The play is written by Eve Leigh and I think takes on too much in a 75 minute production:- racism, immigration, what is home to a recent immigrant, far right extremism, lesbian love, white privilege and religion. It’s a long list of subject matter to be addressed.
The direction by Debbie Hanna does an admirable job of trying to address the subject matter.
The writing is good and the acting very impressive, I just felt it was too inclusive of all modern sins, sins that need to be addressed but individually and, in more detail, rather than compressed into one production.
3 STARS
Salty Irina is on at Roundabout at Summer Hall 1430 – from August 16-21, 23-25, 27
Tickets can be bought HERE.
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