Trestle is famous for its mask work and is a company of many disguises. So it is appropriate that it is tackling the story of Lambert Simnel, an orphan who was taken by the defeated Yorkists and trained up to be a pretender to the throne occupied by the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII. Simnel came within a whisker of the crown, but the Yorkists were crushed and in an uncharacteristic act of mercy Henry spared Simnel and put him to work in the royal kitchens.
Even though Blood and Roses is a far cry from the more experimental work of early Trestle, its fascinating, haunting story is told well in a dark underground venue that brilliantly evokes the kitchens where Simnel now serves those he once thought to rule. Past and present collide in the heat and banter of the kitchen as Simnel looks back over his life and tries to forge himself a future based on truth, not illusion.
The script, written by Trestle's Toby Wilsher and Dylan Ritson, a former winner of the Guardian student drama award, is clever and multifaceted, teasingly exploring the idea of disguise. This thoroughly enjoyable play also comes with a history lesson taught with fruit and veg. Anyone for Henry Tudor as a leek?
Until August 26. Box office: 0131-225 5105.
