“This show is exhausting to watch,” someone warned us at the outset. They were right, but as the title implies, exhausting things can also be euphoric. Four performers from Australian theatre collective Pony Cam are placed on moving treadmills and must complete an eclectic series of tasks, ranging from cooking a three-course meal (yes, on the treadmill) to submitting a grant application. If they fail, they’ll refund everyone’s tickets. The results are chaotic, but the chaos is the point. We are drawn to our feet, dashing to hand our treadmill-bound performers the tools for their next job. We cheer them on, refunds be damned, likely because we see our own lives – the relentless, pitiless grind – reflected back at us.

Summerhall, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Jon Stapley]