EDINBURGH 2023: Review: GOD CATCHER, Underbelly, Bristo Square, Ermintrude

God Catcher is a musical reinterpretation of the myth of Arachne, the woman challenged to a weaving competition by the goddess Athena.

For those unfamiliar with the Ovidian interpretation of the Greek myth, Arachne is an incredibly skilled weaver from Hypaepa who challenges Athena to a weaving contest. Athena weaves the story of how she and Poseidon competed for the naming of Athens, which ended in her victory. Arachne weaves 18 stories of the gods taking advantage of mortals, with most of the stories involving the male gods raping women. There is no flaw in Arachne’s work and she is the winner of the challenge, but Athena attacks Arachne before saving the young woman from hanging herself, turning her into a spider that is forced to weave forever.  

In this new interpretation of the tale, created by Cassie Muise and Tyler Mckinnon, Arachne uses her weaving to follow in her mother’s footsteps and tell the stories of forgotten women, going against the “truths” told by the elders (played in eerie unison by Adam Makepeace, Mackenzie Thacker and Adrien Spencer). The way that God Catcher portrays the act of weaving is beautiful - There is a wooden frame with two translucent curtains of fabric. The weavers pull up one piece of the fabric and “weave,” with actors ducking underneath and becoming the work of art. 

Yna Tresvalles shines as Arachne, who starts the show as an innocent and joyful child but grows to become an honest and determined young woman, with Tresvalles showing a stunning range of vocals and stellar acting skills. Her foil, Athena, played by Isabella Gervais, must appear to the world as strong and wise, but Gervais adds a touch of softness to the goddess, showing traces of humanity in her darker moments. 

The music in God Catcher is perfectly placed throughout the show and always matches the tone of the story, with more heartfelt ballads from characters like Arachne and Athena and fun and upbeat songs from Hermes (the delightful Colum Findlay) and the townspeople. The vocals of the entire cast are incredible and left me in awe of their individual talent, combined to create a powerful company of performers.  At the performance I was at, composer Tyler McKinnon took on the roles of Arachne’s father, Idmon, and Zeus, doing a fantastic job!

Ultimately, God Catcher is a fascinating reinterpretation of the classical Greek myth of Arachne, updating it with a more feminist perspective and allowing the audience to sympathize with both Arachne and Athena, women trapped in patriarchal societies. I cannot wait to see where the show will go next!

God Catcher ran at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Ermintrude.