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