Review: The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey, Summerhall

When we first meet Magnus Coffinkey (Joseph Zammit), he has climbed all the way up a spire and is fixing a bell in the hopes of being granted a wish. Surrounded by menacing gargoyles and bats, his plans don’t quite unfold as expected in The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey.

Rebecca Camilleri plays the Storyteller, as well as several other characters, including the woman writing the fairytale we are watching, the local baker, the personification of Pain, and the spirit Harmony. We meet the latter two characters in “The Gloom”, a purgatory-like space between life and death. Camilleri does a fantastic job of snapping in and out of characters, reinforced by changes in the lighting. 

The fairytale setting provides a liminal space where the fantastical characters are able to avoid the constraints of ordinary life and take on challenges surrounding grief and loss. For instance, Harmony helps Magnus mentally prepare for three surreal challenges which he must complete in order to escape the space. 

Costumes are fun and effective. Magnus wears a black jacket and hat that have patches sewn into them. The Storyteller wears dungarees, allowing her freedom of movement around the stage. When changing into different characters, she adorns gargoyle masks, headbands and a ridiculously wide skirt. 

The main props are Magnus’s hammer and a large brown box in the middle of the stage, which Magnus climbs on, jumps off, and pushes over to reveal broken toys inside. Scattered around the box are autumnal leaves, which add to the play’s eerie yet comforting atmosphere. 

Both actors use the space well, however, there is a moment when Magnus is lying on the floor, and due to the layout of the Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall, it was difficult to see him and what he was doing. 

Through the fairytale setting, co-writers Malcolm Galea and Angele Galea are able to explore the idea of processing grief in an inventive and unique way. A dark fairytale with a realistic ending, this play reminds the audience that even in a world of magic and make-believe, grief cannot simply be wished away.

Co-written by Malcolm Galea and Angele Galea
Directed by Philip Leone-Ganado
Lighting Design by Sam Edmunds

The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey plays at Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until Monday 31 August.