Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh Fringe

4 Stars Book Tickets

From Sheffield comes Black Bright Theatre Company with this play set in a remote pig farm in Yorkshire. A disease has wiped away most of humanity, and Megan and her mother, Deborah, are among the few survivors. The disease was thought to have come from processed food, and they may have survived because they eat farm meat.

The piece begins with a startling scream and the tension never really decreases. A taut, thrilling script by Madeleine Farnhill ensures not a word is wasted. Excellent performances by Farnhill herself as brittle Megan and Helen Fullerton as Deborah keep us involved throughout. With strangers approaching the farm being shot, one young boy is given food by Megan and keeps returning until their food is stolen. No spoilers, but the final revelation is haunting.

The direction by Natalie Simone keeps the actors in a very limited space, and while this does add to the pressure cooker atmosphere, it can affect sight lines quite a bit in this venue. But we do feel trapped in the environment with them in this edgy production as the question of how far you will go to protect yourobed ones is answered.