At last! A real, grown-up American play. This year's Fringe is awash with kids thinking they are being experimental by serving up the post-9/11 American psyche in easy-to-digest, bite-sized chunks. But the fitfully entertaining antics of Team and the Civilians look merely childish next to Brian Dykstra's mature consideration of the way the greenback rules, big corporations dictate US government policy (including its pre-emptive aggression in the oil-rich corners of the planet), and how we all stand around doing nothing about the environment because when "the shit hits the apocalyptic fan" we and our children won't be around to see it and we don't really care about our great- great-grandchildren, as yet unborn.
This is not a play that slips down easily. Jackie runs her small family firm manufacturing cleaning products in the same way her father and grandfather did before her. The business is not exactly thriving, but then, out of the blue, two lawyers turn up at her door. This poisonous comic double act comes bearing gifts. All Jackie has to do is to say "yes". What initially looks like a play of bluff and double-bluff (David Mamet crossed with The Sting) turns into a gripping consideration of individual and corporate conscience.
This is in many ways an old-fashioned play and the density of the dialogue can sometimes make it feel a little indigestible. I didn't entirely believe every word or, indeed, the sudden changes of heart. But it poses its ethical dilemmas with a fierce intelligence, creating a slippery drama that is full of meat. Margaret Perry's production is slick and smart, and the three performances are spot-on. Something to really chew on.
· Until August 28. Box office: 0131-226 2428.
