EDINBURGH 2026 Review: THE TRIALS OF MAGNUS COFFINKEY, Summerhall
Runs until 31 August.
“Life and death are just states of being. Love transcends them both.” In the land of broken toys, Magnus Coffinkey has been tasked with mending the large bell on top of the church spire. Surrounded by gargoyles and bats, he makes a secret wish. An eerie storybook atmosphere explores the fundamental impossibility of fixing everything. Written by Malcolm Galea and Angele Galea, The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey is a vibrant allegory.
Heartbreaking and amusing, charming and uncanny, the piece handles its tonal ambiguity exquisitely well. Captivating storytelling eases in quite a few surprising moments of humour before reeling it back to its moral depths. Director Philip Leone-Ganado suspends the plot in a timeless bubble. Actors Rebecca Camilleri and Joseph Zammit transport us to a universe of spirits, creatures, and irreparable hearts.
Camilleri is sensational. Her raw flow of emotion frames the production, guiding the narrative with a confident hand. She goes from exploding into eccentric comedy to coming back down to a controlled, sombre, utterly show-stopping anguish. Her sorrow spills onto Zammit, who’s equally remarkable. They complement each other’s deliveries, delicately cradling the Galeas duo’s difficult vision. The project is a vehicle for processing trauma.
The emotionally tortured character of Magnus is bashed and beaten before he accepts his past instead of continuously trying to restore what’s lost. The play is a long and heavy journey, but we go on it safely, all wrapped inside a comfortable blanket. It opens a dialogue between the healing power of art and the idiosyncratically human need for analysis and connection. The stagecraft is sophisticated, the mise-en-scène is approachable and unpretentious; the script is polished, and the performances are refined. You’ll laugh, you’ll sniffle, you’ll think. Magnus Coffinkey has it all.
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