In true Brazilian style, ‘Hotel Medea’ keeps you out from midnight to dawn. But there’s more: you will be touched, will parade, won’t be allowed to be just an audience. The leading lady will kiss you. ‘Hotel Medea’ blends rave, live documentary, satire, tragedy and hide and seek. The troupe harness the manifold powers of a late night – exertion endorphins, the emotional effects of sleeplessness, chants and crowd psychology – and they build dreamlike things to replace the dreams we’re missing; they lull you back to childhood; they make you comfortable in absurdity; they end on the first and strongest narrative device: a real dawn. It is tender, shocking and indescribable. Lose sleep over this.

Summerhall, 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 Aug, 11.45pm (5.30am), £25.00 – £29.50, fpp253.
tw rating 5/5
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