EDINBURGH 2026 Review: REDACTED: THE COVER-UP OF A COVER-UP OF A COVER-UP, Pleasance Dome
Runs until 30 August.
What really happened in Roswell in 1947? Marnie Makowski, a valiant journalist in search of her missing sister, has set off on an outlandish journey to find out the truth. Olivia Zerphy, Paul Lofferon, Emily Wheatman, and Sam Rayner conjure a series of extravagant scenarios out of thin air with the power of physical theatre.
Ski chases, helicopter rides, cold-blooded murders, frozen lakes, and dodgy butcheries come to life through the genius tricks of the company’s own brilliantly eloquent movement direction. Armed with a few props and a lot of imagination, Voloz Collective present an absurd adventure rooted in pure physical storytelling.
Slapstick mishaps and clownish exaggeration are at the foundation of this feat of imaginative power. Accompanied by a talented multi-instrumentalist, the four have impressive comic tempo. Suspense is drawn out by quiet high-hats; eeriness sneaks in with a melodica. While their approach in anything but subtle, their eccentric narration isn’t to the detriment of emotion.
As Marnie tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, flashbacks contextualise her involvement in the case. At its very core, this is a story about family, redemption, and devotion. It’s a truly remarkable production that succeeds in delivering a sophisticatedly bonkers stagecraft and a polished plot at once.
But the project relies on the intellectual participation of the audience. Our imagination is what makes it work. There’s something so visceral and primitive in this type of physical theatre: it’s reminiscent of child's play and tugs at the bare bones of performance. If that’s not enough to sell the show to you, the comedy is ha-ha funny, the vision is crystal clear, the actors are indefatigable, and the whole concept is utterly fascinating. Book before it’s gone!
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