Once upon a time there was a princess. The king found out that when she was 15 she would prick her finger and die. So he banned all sharp, pointy objects from his kingdom. Which made chopping carrots very awkward, haircuts painful and amputations well nigh impossible. Even the free-flying birds with their sharp little beaks were considered a threat by some.
In the atmospheric gloom of the Underbelly, Angel Exit, a new Jacques Lecoq-trained company, is weaving stories and more than a little theatrical magic in this absurdist fable about how being afraid cripples us, and being too afraid for our children cripples them.
This is fledgling work and, at a bare 45 minutes, the company has yet to prove whether it can sustain its storytelling skills, but there is so much vivid theatricality and inventiveness at work here that I am already looking forward to its next show.
From the opening moments when the slightly sinister fool whispers in the dark, to the stuck-on moustaches - and almost constant sound accompaniment rustled up from knives and forks, among other objects - this is work that has the lightest of touches.
A gift to anyone who has ever fallen prey to the agonising folly of obsession and everyone who knows that fairytales teach us how to live.
Until August 26. Box office: 0131-620 6206.
