Puttana – Summerhall ★ ★

For the last two decades, contemporary theatre has become increasingly fascinated by intimacy. Companies such as Complicité helped pioneer forms that blurred the boundaries between audience and performer, while works like The Encounter demonstrated how binaural sound could transform listening into an intensely personal experience. The appeal is obvious. Place voices directly inside an audience member’s head and a simple story can become something immersive, unsettling and deeply immediate. Puttana arrives firmly within that tradition. Using binaural audio and a solo performance from Beatrice Elena Festi, the production explores sex work, commodification and the relationship between desire and power. Through five overlapping characters, delivered via music, spoken word and an enveloping soundscape, it asks where the boundary lies between body and commodity in a society where everything appears available for purchase. Initially, it is remarkably effective. The sound design creates a…