Review: Escape Artist Lord Nil Conquers His Fears and Our Hearts in 7 Deadly Sins

When you walk into Stage 42, where Lord Nil’s 7 Deadly Sins is currently running, you feel like you’re entering a space less like a theater and more like something designed for TV. Maybe that’s intentional, because Lord Nil made his US debut on America’s Got Talent. 

The night I attended, Lord Nil kicked off the evening by coming onstage in civilian clothes with choreographer Stefano Alessandrino to apologize for abruptly canceling his previous Friday and Saturday shows after injuring his eyes, and the moment quickly endeared him to me and the rest of the audience. 

A multitalented performer, Lord Nil speaks several languages and has studied all over the world, learning martial arts and combat skills along the way. He explained that as a child in Italy, he was timid, so he created an alter ego called Lord Nil (nil referring to “nothing”) as a way to confront his fears and adopt a brave persona. His show is meant to give us a firsthand glimpse into how he continues to embrace new challenges every day, and maybe to inspire us to do the same. After this heartfelt introduction, the fun began. 

Steph Payne plays a character named Vice, who entices Lord Nil to commit each of the seven deadly “sins” by luring him into traps, which, she tells us with an evil laugh, she hopes he’ll succumb to. Although the escape routines don’t necessarily align with the sins exactly, there are loose connections (you’ll remember the stunts more than the themes). When executing “Greed,” for instance, Vice selects a member of the audience to come onstage and leads them blindfolded through a hopscotch–like checkerboard. Depending on the color of the square they land on with each step, they are either awarded actual cash, or a glass box cage awaiting Lord Nil’s arrival is littered with tools that may aid in his escape. 

The routines all offer similar challenges for Lord Nil—a blindfold, arms bound in some way, and a lock that he needs to pick with one hand. While he tries to free himself, director Alberto Oliva creates real edge-of-your-seat tension with the help of dramatic lighting (by Tudor Micu for the Light Guy SRL and Jamie Roderick) and sound design (by Drew Levy and Kevin Sweetser). 

A fire below him, an axe that looks ready to slice him in half—there’s no question that the skill required to get out of these binds is real. I imagined just trying to get out of a sweater that was too tight and twisting to get free. During each of these challenges, groups of dancers, decked out in costumes and hair reminiscent of ’80s glam rock (costumes by Giuseppe Magistro), participate in Vice’s temptations and perform Alessandrino’s beautifully choreographed dance sequences while Italian guitarist Erik Ventrice plays his own compositions in the background. At first, Ventrice seems a bit out of place standing on a platform, but his presence ultimately contributes a suitably erotic element to Vice’s wiles.  

At the top of the show, Alessandrino encouraged the audience to take photos, be loud, and have fun, which I certainly did. At about one hour, 7 Deadly Sins feels authentic, as though Lord Nil is really getting himself out of a variety of binds, including a straitjacket and chains, a face mask made of cellophane under a locked cage, and much more. How he escapes is a mystery, and he has certainly earned the right to be called fearless.