Sins of the Mother
★★★☆☆ Family demons
Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49): 30 July – Sun 10 Aug 2025
Review by Tom Ralphs
To have one member of a family make a Faustian pact with Satan may be considered a misfortune. To have a father, a son and an ex-daughter-in-law all entering into deals with the devil suggests that something that has gone well beyond your typical dysfunctional domestic drama.
This, however, is exactly the premise of Sins of the Mother, Freya McCall’s new play which she self-directs for the Edinburgh University Theatre Company at the Bedlam Theatre, up to the end of Week One of the Fringe.
Rae Webb with Molly Gilbert. Pic Sophia Hindmarsh.jpeg
Jim (Michael Butler), a successful writer, is lying on his hospital death bed. The strength of his desire to stay alive is equal only to that of his son Mark (Freya McCall) to see him breathe his last.
When Mark’s ex-wife Pearl (Eve Nugent) arrives at the hospital, the tension between the two of them, and the source of the tension between Mark and his dad, is clear to see, as Jim’s warmth towards Pearl contrasts with his animosity towards Mark.
So far so conventional a story of fractured family relationships, but when the family leave, the Devil (Molly Gilbert) appears. The pacts with her form the subject matter for the rest of the play.
polished performance
With minimal set, and large playing space, the production relies heavily on the actors to create the mood and they do this superbly under McCall’s direction.
Butler gives a polished performance as the cantankerous old man who will argue with the devil and anyone else while also hiding a life of regret and sense of responsibility for the mistakes he has made and the people he has alienated.
Rae Webb, Eve Nugent and Molly Gilbert. Pic Sophia Hindmarsh
The gender-neutral casting of McCall works, providing a convincing portrayal of the put upon son who became the put upon Husband who can never quite pull off the big ideas that they have.
McCall’s hesitant portrayal of Mark contrasts with the calm, icy detachment that Nugent brings to the role of Pearl. She remains seemingly in complete control of her life until it becomes clear that her previous decisions mean that she hasn’t been in control for some time and never will be again.
relish
Ruling over them all, Gilbert plays the Devil with relish, giving Satan the type of glamour normally associated with marketing campaigns aimed at tempting people into places that may fall somewhere between heaven and hell depending on their personal preferences.
Rae Webb and Molly Gilbert. Pic Sophia Hindmarsh
The cast is completed by Rae Webb who doubles as the hospital nurse in the opening scene and Mark and Pearl’s six year old daughter in the final one. As the nurse she is efficient and professional, while as the child she has a wide-eyed energy and innocence that marks her as the only member of the family not tainted by association with the devil.
While the script explores the motivations of Jim, Mark, Pearl and Satan herself, there is little connection between the reasons why the father entered into his pact and the reasons why Mark and Pearl entered into theirs. Mark’s actions and how he arrived at them, as well as his discovery of how to get the devil’s attention, also don’t stand up to too much scrutiny.
Strong performances cover for the flaws within the script, but the play would benefit from the various strands of the story forming a more coherent whole.
Running time: One hour and 10 minutes (no interval).
Bedlam Theatre, 11b Bristo Place EH1 1EZ (Venue 49).
Wednesday 30 July – Sunday 10 August 2025.
Daily (Not Fri 1): 11am.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Instagram: @sinsofthemother.fringe
Rae Webb and Molly Gilbert. Pic Sophia Hindmarsh.
ENDS
