EDINBURGH 2019: Review: SWALLOW THE SEA CARAVAN THEATRE, Summerhall

Off the beaten track, tucked away in a little corner of Summerhall, is one of the Fringe's smallest, quirkiest theatre spaces. Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre, as the name would suggest, hold performances in a vehicle converted into a tiny four-seater performance space.

This August, they are offering up a rota of different bitesize plays at various times through the day, with a run time of around 15 to 20 minutes.

At the time of review, the performance was Lamp, described by the company as physical absurdist object theatre. In the hands of two performers, a pair of beautifully utilised fringed lampshades, illuminated by torches in the black of the closed caravan, become eggs, nests, calling birds and more.

Effectively, it is the theatrical equivalent of Pixar short: a brief meditation on a facet of life presented in a near-universally accessible fashion, with elements of puppetry and a vocal score with no spoken words.

The intimate, quirky and experimental feel is a refreshing antidote to the increasingly mainstream nature of so many of the productions presented in Edinburgh during August. Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre offer a real Fringe experience - amusing, slightly bizarre and definitely memorable.

Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre is at Summerhall until 25 August.

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