Review: TROUBLE IN SPIRITLAND, Traverse Theatre

Author Paul Tinto performed his original work Trouble in Spiritland as a work-in-progress show at the Traverse this week. Adapted from the mythic epic poem of the same name, Tinto's theatrical spoken-word presentation delves into difficult themes including the wealth divide, capitalist corruption, the attainment gap and questions of morality.

The story is an endearing one - we are in 'Spiritland', a home for spirits of emotional beings. We meet Purity, Love, Fear and our protagonist Hate. Born into a world of poverty and social deprivation, Hate embarks on a journey to discover who he truly is and where he came from. Tinto is a captivating storyteller embodying multiple characters with ease, while the poetic language is lyrically beautiful.

As a work-in-progress, there are definitely areas for improvement. Live music accompaniment from Louis Abbott was extremely impactful, but felt underused. Set design could be also be upped - projected images or shadow puppets would be particularly powerful.

However, this is a welcome, clever and important story with tremendous promise.

Trouble in Spiritland was at the Traverse Theatre until 18 December

Photo Credit: Serden Salih

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