Sinner. A Musical Tragicomedy About Breaking Up With White Jesus

Cup of Hemlock Theatre Podcast reviewed Sinner in PART 1 of our 3-part post-festival Review Roundup.

Click link for YouTube, or search for the audio-only version wherever you get your podcasts. TIMESTAMP: 1:18:50

TL;DL: No relation to the vampire movie. Great solo musical about an interesting set of life experiences. Held back by tech issues, which will hopefully be resolved when it continues touring.

This is the breakup story with a twist! It follows the lead storyteller and her struggles and reconciling her coming of age story with the traditional styles and teachings of the Albertan Bible Belt.

Full of twists, turns, laughs, cries, you should come into the play with an open mind, an open heart, and maybe a flask for those times your childhood trauma is on display.

Exceptional singer-songwriter M.Torgerson slowly rejects her Bible Belt roots in this ambitious autobiographical show, which starts as a bible study, ends as a rock concert, & would benefit from a dramaturgical assist w/ pacing.

On stage, Marla is gasp-out-loud hilarious and also deeply solemn, shockingly bold and also emotionally vulnerable, pop-diva precise in her magnificent vocal stylings and also hear-a-pin-drop delicate in the right moments. She has a loose script but is truly in conversation with her audience, and it's a conversation that feels urgent, vital, and life-affirming.

And as someone who wasn't raised as a Christian, I learned a lot about Christian doctrine and history from Marla's monologues, in addition to the very specific context of fundamentalist family taboos, Bible college, purity rings, and of course lavender marriages. The show is both an emotional and an intellectual roller coaster that nevertheless leaves you feeling uplifted, seen, and hopeful.

Marla is headed to Edinburgh Fringe in just a few weeks to present this show on the world's most famous Fringe stage. Once you see it, you'll understand why.

Hallelujah!

I live in Alberta and always wanted to see this show. I happened to be in Toronto while the Fringe was on and was thrilled it was playing so jumped at the chance to see it.

It did not disappoint. The story was funny and fun, melancholic and moody, innovative and inspiring, hopeful and honest. Marla's incredible voice and superb songwriting skills were on full display. She took us on a real journey using witty intelligent prose, both haunting and cheerful melodies, and a redemption arc that is very inspiring. Well done!

I loved Maria Torgerson's compelling story telling about her Evangelical upbringing and her escape from it. The music though is just not my thing.

Full review at the link

Sinner is hilariious, fearless, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful.

Marla Torgerson tells the story of a young woman escaping the rigid certainty of fundamentalist Christianity. It isn’t just a story about religion, it's about anyone who’s had to leave behind the world that raised them in order to become themselves.

With razor-sharp wit, unforgettable songs, soaring vocals, a phenomenal live band, and Toronto’s own Forte Gay Men’s Chorus, Sinner is as entertaining as it is emotionally devastating.

The opening, operatic trigger warning jokes that your patriarchy-sensitive boomer dad might be offended. Honestly? He may be exactly the person who needs to see it.

Everyone else will laugh, cry, and leave with the warmth of healing old wounds, knowing they are enough, after all.

Don’t miss this one.

I wasn’t sure which emoji to choose because there were so many mixed emotions. As somebody who grew up in Evangelical period culture so many other stories were all too familiar. And told him such an honest and open way. The music was amazing. I can’t recommend the show enough.

I saw Sinner: A Musical Comedy About Breaking Up with White Jesus, and I'll be honest, I originally picked it for an incredibly superficial reason. The one-woman show stars Marla Torgerson, and in my entire life I've never met another Marla. It felt like fate... or at least a very specific coincidence.

I'm so glad I went.

This was like going to church... if church wasn't boring, had incredible music, and wasn't afraid to drop a few well-earned curse words.

Musically, it was gorgeous. Marla Torgerson has an absolutely stunning voice, but what really impressed me was her ability to connect with the audience. Whether she was making us laugh until our sides hurt or quietly breaking our hearts, every story felt genuine and deeply personal.

The show is hilarious, touching, thoughtful, and beautifully put together. It explores faith, identity, and finding yourself with warmth, honesty, and just the right amount of irreverence.

And a huge shout-out to the backup singers, performed by members of Forte – Toronto's Gay Men's Chorus. They sounded fantastic and added so much energy and richness to the production.

I came because I wanted to meet another Marla. I left having experienced one of the most funny, moving, and memorable shows I've seen in a long time. Praise be... just maybe not that kind of praise.

I have to admit that I am biased because I have known Marla for years and her Christian upbringing was similar to mine. She was a late bloomer due to religion and rules and so was I.

However, it takes guts to be on stage with the spotlight on yourself like we are privy to Marla’s lock and key diary. Marla impresses us with own written show tunes and pop hits and she has all of the words and more to not preach to us but share about her sheltered life especially the moral expectations Marla put on herself and that her family and church put on her as well.

I cried and smiled as Marla’s massive expressiveness and ease about the stage made it clear she is SO ready for everyone to know that she is woman; she is a survivor and she is fearless with a voice!

The band was tight. The engagement with the crowd was comfortable. The story left you wanting to hear more from Marla. Maybe there should be a SINNER: Part 2 for the next TO Fringe Festival.

Kudos Marla for your fortitude! We are listening. We are respecting. We are loving with no agenda. God bless you (just kidding) haha :)

SINNER: A Musical Tragicomedy About Breaking Up With White Jesus Created and performed by Marla Torgerson

Calgary based singer-songwriter Marla Torgerson makes her Toronto Fringe debut with SINNER, a cathartic solo performance, and the result is one of the strongest new musicals I have seen at the festival in many years.

Solo shows are the bread and butter of the Fringe movement. Every year the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals presents dozens of one-person productions, making it increasingly difficult for any individual artist to stand out. Torgerson succeeds because she brings together exceptional songwriting, powerful storytelling, and a level of personal honesty that never feels manufactured.

Raised in Alberta's Bible Belt, Torgerson blends virtuosic vocals, razor-sharp comedy, and poetic storytelling to examine purity culture, family mythology, and what happens when faith no longer provides the answers. Through a series of memorable original songs and vivid biblical imagery, she explores heartbreak, identity, and the difficult freedom that comes with rebuilding your life after leaving behind the beliefs that once defined you.

What makes the production so compelling is that it is rooted in lived experience. Torgerson draws directly from her own childhood in the Evangelical Christian faith, creating a work that feels deeply personal rather than simply autobiographical. The central struggle is not only about losing religion, but about untangling the emotional lessons that accompanied it. As a young girl she was taught that her worth depended upon remaining thin, attractive, and pure, while navigating the painful reality of family conflict and infidelity. Being expected to choose loyalty to her father over her mother is an impossible burden for a child, and the emotional consequences remain at the heart of the piece.

One of the show's most striking revelations concerns the purity ring she wore well into her early twenties as a symbol of her commitment to abstinence. When she finally lost her virginity while living in South Korea to an unsuitable boyfriend named Rod, she felt compelled to apologize to her father for violating the promises she believed she had made to him. For audience members unfamiliar with this culture, it is both astonishing and heartbreaking.

Presented at Theatre Passe Muraille's venue devoted to new Canadian musicals, SINNER distinguishes itself through the remarkable quality of its score. Torgerson accompanies herself on piano and guitar with effortless musicianship, and every song feels like an essential chapter in the story rather than an interruption to it. Her voice occasionally reminded me of a young Sarah McLachlan, combining technical precision with emotional vulnerability.

Midway through the performance, a band that has quietly waited offstage joins her, transforming the production with a richer musical texture. The addition of the Forte Gay Men's Choir creates one of the evening's most exhilarating moments, expanding the show's emotional and theatrical scale while leading into its most revealing and profound material.

There are moments when the story feels almost too large for the sixty minute Fringe format. You sense that there is enough material here for a full-length musical, and inevitably some difficult choices have been made about what to include and what to leave behind. Even so, the production remains remarkably focused and emotionally satisfying.

I strongly encourage audiences to book tickets early. After more than twenty years of attending Fringe festivals, I can honestly say this is one of the standout productions I have encountered. With its combination of fearless storytelling, outstanding songwriting, and a magnetic central performance, SINNER feels destined for a long life beyond Toronto. It is easy to see why Torgerson is taking the show to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. This is a production with the potential to travel a very long way.

This show is highly recommended, and I urge you to grab tickets while you can.

Brian Morton The Hammer Monthly