Where in Edinburgh can you get a three-tier stand of scones and cakes and sandwiches that would do justice to Jenners, a glass of bubbly, and a Victorian thriller all for the price of your ticket? The answer, just off The Shore at Leith. This isnt even on the official Fringe, so dont go looking for it in your already well-thumbed brochure, but its a brilliant concept and director Liam Rudden is to be commended in trying something new that, with support, may well carry on beyond the festival. You have an hour to partake of your cakes and champagne, and then, as if by magic, actors appear in stiff black Victorian address. There has been a murder. A whore is strangled in her den by the son of a respectable, decent, law-abiding middle-class couple. The hangman is called, a lovely performance by Arron Usher, cocky and swaggering, swigging beer and tucking into his veal and ham pie at the inn before dispatching his subject to eternity. The parents grieve as the hour approaches. The rope is put around the villains neck. Justice is done. Or is it? The play, nicely constructed and written by George MacEwan Green, and produced in association with Emerald Blue, only runs for just over half an hour, but in this setting it is a perfect treasure. Edward Cory and Anne Kane-Howie as the parents, Ali McDougall as the son, and Jodie Campbell as the unfortunate victim, play their parts superbly with a minimum of props, often only inches from your table. This is the sort of thing you might find on the Left Bank of Paris, but here it is, in Leith.There are only a few performances remaining, and about two dozen seats in the bistro for each one, so if you want something different, and arent too calorie-conscious, get your ticket fast.
