Review of ‘Magdalena, Woman of Joy’: “A whore lot of nonsense”

The young Playhouse East hosts the London premiere of Lily Sinko’s one-woman piece — starring an eccentric prostitute and her reflections on her past life. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its thumping story ends up screwing more than it should.

The 70s preshow music should have served as enough of a warning — this is no revolutionary piece. Not that a show needs to be groundbreaking to land. But if there’s something it should never, ever emanate, that would be any remote scent of datedness. When half of the act consists of sexual puns and double-entendres, so predictable it almost feels as if the script was taking dick-tation from your mind, the prospects for success are lower than finding true love in a brothel.

No matter how hard she tries, Magdalena is unlikely to turn the corner when it comes to winning her audience over. Opening last night at the still novice London’s Playhouse East, this one-woman show, written and performed by Lily Sinko, fails to provide anything else but an endless concatenation of used-up humorous devices and uninteresting plot elements.

Pimped up with loads of shouting and unnecessary over-the-top mannerisms, the piece attempts to deliver an acute observation of the human condition by enhancing the absurdity of its style. It’s an enticing concept — and had it been stroked by the proper hands, it might have climaxed into something viewers could have a thirst for. Yet, we only end up drenched by the character’s constant verbal ejaculation — as her not-too-sharp remarks continue to enhance the narrative’s lack of appeal.

Regardless of how much it tries, the play is unable to pump any pathos throughout. Despite its generally sophomoric framing, the recount aims for a stronger resonance beyond some remarkable buccal skills (I hear you, sister). But none of the ordeals or suffering she goes through help that purpose materialize. It doesn’t strike the viewer’s emotions. On the whole, there are almost no opportunities for us to sympathize with her plight — resulting in a painfully dry experience that fails to lube its way into our hearts.

Lily Sinko gives a competent rendition in terms of presence and engagement. Her energy manages to capture the audience to some extent. But sadly, that’s just as good as it gets. The rest of her portrayal looks forced and, on many levels, phony — unable to project any elements of honesty passed beyond her personage’s flamboyance and histrionism. Consequently, our impression of the character doesn’t come across as genuine but as a lazy, unrefined impersonation for the sake of easy laughter.

With a prolapsed structure, unfertilised recount, and a generally prophylactic feel in terms of audience engagement, Magdalena struggles to achieve much else than a few occasional chuckles — and even when it does, it owes the whole merit to the viewers’ external comments during the interactive bits. Though far from original as a subject, its elements could have come together through a stronger copula — with more cunning lingering in us instead of the whacked-down version the piece currently is. It doesn’t need to be as spicy as puttanesca sauce, but it should leave us with a better aftertaste — instead of a state of confusion about what the f*ck we’ve just seen.

Magdalena, Woman of Joy plays at London’s Playhouse East until 28 June. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara