EDINBURGH 2026 Review: A MICROSCOPIC ODYSSEY, Pleasance Courtyard
Runs until 16 August.
James, a young, very matter-of-fact boy, looks to science for comfort. Now an adult, he explores how puddle water has helped him to reconcile with his past in a public lecture. Mycelium Theatre Company celebrate the small things that make us, us in a strangely and decisively life-affirming piece of theatre. Through physical movement, dance, and puppetry, we are transported into a world of nearly invisible water bears (also known as tardigrades) and stardust.
Hope Wishart directs Ben Boulton-Jones, Greta Abbey, Allie-Rae Fossum, and Elijah Bai Bangura, devising an imaginative visual language that cleverly incorporates the use of an overhead projector as its main mean of stagecraft. Black cloth becomes a curtain, and a tiny shrub is the veiny, vital heart awash on James’s chest. It’s as fascinating as it is entertaining.
Nightmarish, visceral movement-led transitions heighten the emotional impact of the show, moving James through a lifelong battle with complex PTSD. As he analyses the microscopic links between humans and nature, the ensemble turn into trees, weaving their limbs together to welcome the budding scientist among their midst. Our childlike wonder is channelled with shadow-play, which is haunting, and lovely, and delectably pragmatic in setting the scene.
Moments of quiet reflection explode into frenetic, energetic dance sequences that manifest our protagonist’s inner journey. It creates a poignant, joyous, liberating fluctuation of theatrical rhythm that results in a surprisingly well-calibrated play. It shifts our perspective and urges us away from the bigger picture, into the details, and then out into the universe again. This is the only Odyssey you need to see this summer.
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