EDINBURGH 2023: Review: SALTY IRINA, Summerhall

The town where Anna and Eireni are studying has been hit by a number of racially provoked murders. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern, except that the victims are all immigrants. While a non-existing strand of organised crime is being blamed, the two women meet after another shocking event and decide to infiltrate a far-right festival to find out what’s going on. They swiftly fall for each other in a terrorised city, sharing a deep hope for a better future.

In essence, Salty Irina is a play about young people falling in love and trying to change the world.

Eve Leigh’s new work might be a bit far-fetched, but it means well. Directed by Debbie Hannan and starring Hannah van der Westhuyen, Yasemin Ozdemir, and Francesca Knight, the production is imbued with earth-shaking romanticism, easy hyperbole, and youthful joie de vivre. Playful but decisive, the couple (van der Westhuyen and Ozdemir) are deeply political and strong in their stance, speaking for one another and grilling their own beliefs and identities. Performing in the round with very few props, they recollect the events to each other with asides to the audience, who almost intrude into their thin balance between romance and politics.

The writer manages to tackle many points successfully, addressing white privilege, xenophobic violence, the role of religion in contemporary society, and the dangers of impulsivity. It’s an epic tale of anti-fascism activism that’s just slightly too unbelievable for its own sake.

Salty Irina runs at Summerhall on the following dates:  6-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-25, 27 August.

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