Magdalena appears from the dark, perched on a bar stool, cigarettes and liquor by her side, an array of hanging lamps casting a sultry glow. Her first words set the tone – “You want to fuck me,” she says – and lead us into an uncompromising introduction, littered with sex, violence and sideways jokes.
She is the creation of French-English actor and writer Lily Sinko, and as her character’s name suggests, we’re hurled through a life of saintliness and sin, despair and redemption, as Magdalena does the best with the hand she’s dealt. We travel to her childhood in Marseille with a hostile “Papa”, an airport abduction that sees her deposited at the Virgin Mary School for Bad Bad Girls (Cash Only), and a wild escape through the streets of France, finding fleeting refuge in a cathedral.
It’s a tour de force performance from Sinko. She rages, writhes, provokes and teases her way through Magdalena’s life story. Whether she’s in a high-kicking fight, scrabbling for a missing passport, or falling to her knees at a possible sign from a possible god, Sinko’s commitment is total, her presence enthralling.
Often, the story itself feels secondary in comparison. The bare bones of Magdalena’s tale are horrifying – endless abuse and exploitation – but every detail is cartoonishly heightened (an eyeball dislodged by a stiletto, stealing camembert from the mouth of a stranger). It plays out as a surreal farce, filtered through our oversexualised storyteller. Tonally, that’s challenging at times, leaving us in limbo between laughs and deeper investment in the narrative. We skim the surface of bigger ideas. Parallels are drawn between Magdalena’s treatment in her father’s house, at the brothel and within the church. Questions are asked about who is worthy of redemption.
But while Magdalena might not inspire profound revelations, Sinko ensures there is never a dull moment.
At Playhouse East, London, until 28 June
