Tragedy brings some couples together, but tears others apart, as the pain of one partner feels like a knife held to the other's throat. So it is with Bill and Anna, still in mourning for their infant daughter's sudden death. Wrapped in their cocoon of despair, they are on the edge, like the place they have unwisely chosen for their holiday: the desolate site of a small fishing village that was washed away by the sea almost 100 years ago. It is a story of disaster and survival that comes to obsess Anna.
Meaty drama - something you can really sink your teeth into - is too rare on the fringe. Julian Garner's play is welcome, then, even though it is not entirely satisfying. The writing is controlled and there is one terrific and beautifully sustained monologue. But Garner never develops the characters - particularly Anna - enough to make us feel sympathetic rather than merely irritated by their angst. The whole thing is rather contrived, too.
But there is some classy stuff here, directed and designed with skill and expertly performed. And only a stone could remain unmoved by the resolution.
Until August 25. Box office: 0131-226 2151.
