Time is a trickster. We think we have all the time in the world, but it trickles away from us. The latest show from Scottish outdoor specialists Boilerhouse, a co-production with French street theatre company Metalovoice, considers the way we think about time; in the process it considers the way we live - and die.
Those who say British street theatre lacks depth and poetry may be surprised by 3600" - which takes its name from the number of seconds in an hour and which lasts precisely 60 minutes. It is is chock-full of existential angst and poetry, some of it ridiculously bad.
Even so, this is the thinking person's outdoor spectacular, a show that strives not just to thrill but to make you think and feel. In fact, the visual conceit - a long, raised catwalk-style running track along which the cast of four race for their lives - has advantages (everyone can see) and limitations (it makes for a visually repetitive staging). You also long for more choreographed poetry in the movement, rather than just the text.
There are times when the piece has thrilling momentum - particularly towards the end as the digital clocks on screens at either end of the running track count down the seconds, the fantastic live drumming thumps in your head and the cast beat their chairs on the floor.
There are other good moments: a recognition of "hurry sickness" and a chillingly funny account of supermarket checkout rage. But the piece is overly reliant on the spoken word and isn't always visual enough to hold a large audience's attention.
Even so, after last year's disappointing The Bridge, it is good to see Boilerhouse getting its act together with European partners, in a show that dispels the notion that large-scale outdoor shows are just eye candy.
