International work has become a welcome feature of the fringe in recent years and venues such as Aurora Nova @ St Stephens have shown that although some of this work is small in scope it is of the highest quality. Not so this lame little show about the life of a soap-opera obsessed Colombian peasant who makes his way to the big city and gets himself a job as a doorman of the New World Trade building, a block of luxury apartments. Here he caters to the residents' needs and eavesdrops on the daily soap opera of their lives via the building's videophone system.
The production - which uses filmed clips of real South American soap stars (all entirely unknown to British audiences) is as bumbling as its country mouse protagonist, and after the first few moments the humour falls so flat that the 75 minutes which follow become increasingly an exercise in embarrassment limitation. Not quirky enough to engage and almost entirely devoid of insights into Colombian life, it's not surprising that performer Thaddeus Phillips seems so ill at ease. He's come to Edinburgh, he's being seen at one of the premier venues, but he certainly hasn't conquered.
· Until Aug 12. Box office: 0131-228 1404
