Was it a failure of nerve? A victory of pragmatism over romance? Whatever the case, Vanishing Point has taken a promisingly poetic idea and ended up with a disappointingly prosaic show.
The company's inspiration for Stars Beneath the Sea is the book of the same name by Trevor Norton. Subtitled The Incredible Story of the Men who Invented Diving, it's a colourful testament to the pioneers who ventured into the sea over the past two centuries, opening up new areas of archaeology, biology and treasure-seeking. It ranges from Benoit Rouquayrol, a mining engineer who designed a diving suit with a compressed air cylinder in 1865, to Hans and Lotte Haas, whose BBC underwater photography programmes in the 1950s captured the imaginations of a generation.
Not a natural for theatrical adaptation. But that made the prospect more tantalising. How exactly would the adventurous Glasgow company bring to life the multiple stories, the quirky details and the factual detail of Norton's book?
The answer is that co-directors Kai Fisher and Matthew Lenton have backed off from the challenge. Rather than cram such diverse material into one production, they've devised their own story about an oddball Victorian scientist, Hans Haldane (Sandy Grierson), who learns of treasure lying off a Greek island. His attempt to find it, first ingratiating himself with a bereaved local family, is neither very interesting as a story nor much to do with diving.
This is a shame - because on a moment to moment basis, the production has flair, charm and wit. There's a feel of Thétre de Complicité, not just in the stock situation of posh Brit meeting naive peasants, but in the seamless transitions from scene to scene. Throw in some puppets, a mask and some good gags and you've got a strong and likeable production. All it needs now is a decent narrative and some of the transcendent poetry that the title suggests.
· Touring Britain until June 1. Details: 0141-353 1315.
