Gibraltar 1982. Teenagers Doink and Jock, children of British service personnel on the Rock, spend early summer shooting octopus, introducing newcomer Darren to their way of life, and defending their patch against the local lads. Then, as the annual schoolyard ritual spat known as Anti-English Day approaches, the Falklands war breaks out and nothing will ever be the same again.
Gregory Burke made the most exhilarating theatrical debut with Gagarin Way at Edinburgh two years ago and, while his second play is less showy, it is no less thrilling in a powerful way.
What might have been a simple coming-of-age story turns into something deeper and more political, as boys become men and the games turn deadly serious. Burke not only shows how violence and war have a brutalising and anaesthetising effect, but also provides a historical framework for a flaw in the national psyche that makes us susceptible to jingoism and the glamour of war. As Doink, heading for a career in the Marines, puts it: "War's what we do, innit? What we do best. Don't matter who we fight either. Reckon we'll always be at war with someone, and we always win."
There are only losers in Burke's scenario, but John Tiffany's sinewy production is a winner, boasting terrific performances from its young cast. Ninety minutes proving that if you take the toys from the boys, the government will have its own reasons for handing them straight back.
· Until August 23. Box office: 0131-228 1404.
