Have you heard the one about the suicide bomber who walks into a bar? You will if you see this one man show that tries to make sense of the insanity and absurdity of Israeli life by making us laugh. It tries, and mostly fails.
Imagine the Israeli/Palestinian conflict revisited as a Brian Rix farce, complete with dropped trousers, and you have something of the flavour of this 70 minutes. Writer and performer Robbie Gringras is cast as an applicant for a job to encourage Jews to move to Israel. He turns up 35 days late for his interview due to a series of everyday events, including being caught up in a suicide bombing.
Laughter can, of course, bridge the widest of gulfs and the element of danger in the show could give it a real edge. But Gringras tries so hard, and the humour is so self-conscious, that the show becomes increasingly hyperactive and irritating as it flirts jokily with the subject of death - all the while studiously ignoring the political situation at the heart of the matter.
A Palestinian baker, as much a victim as any of the Israelis who are blown to bits, is treated as a mere stooge in Gringras' narrative. The loss of his house, wife and legs are turned into a joke; while the potential loss of Gringras' daughter is cast as tragedy. I have no doubt this show comes with the most heartfelt intentions, but it is no laughing matter.
· Until August 30. Box office: 0131-556 6550
