I’m a huge fan of Familia De La Noche, but much of the joy in their work has come from the range of weird, colourful characters and their interactions. So a wordless, one man show was certainly unexpected and, sadly, it lacked much of the company’s usual magic. Max (in a business suit and clown make-up) is a meticulously tidy employee on Alpha-Shift, routinely creating life and sending it out into the cosmos, until something unexpected happens. Unfortunately, the repetitions soon start to feel, well, repetitive, and the story lacks focus, while the technical aspects too felt badly executed. Malik Ibheis is a talented clown with very expressive mannerisms, but he was let down here by an underwhelming story.

Underbelly Cowgate, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 2/5