Edinburgh 2002

Fringe

Angels of the Universe
Gilded Balloon Cowgate

James Panton

A monologue about an Icelander succumbing to the terror of mental illness may not be everyone's idea of fun, especially on a cold and rainy Edinburgh summer afternoon.

But Angels of the Universe is, despite its subject matter, an emotionally engaging and ultimately warming piece of theatre. Adapted from the novel by Icelandic author Einar Mar Gudmundsson, it tells the story of Paul, who remembers a childhood in Reykjavík spent playing in the shadow of the psychiatric hospital, and an adolescence during which his grip upon reality becomes increasingly confused, until, in adult life, he ends up an inmate of the hospital and its brutal regime of patient care.

Neil Haigh, who adapted the piece for theatre, gives an impressive performance as Paul, jumping from persona to persona as he impersonates the other inmates - the true author of the Beatles hits who feels slighted after years without recognition, or the intellectual who has a promise from the current office holder that he will be the next President of Iceland - a performance which hardly falters throughout.

Impressively, this piece avoids all the clichés one might expect from a one man show on such a topic. As Paul descends slowly into madness he nonetheless remains a character with whom we completely identify; he suffers from a brutal asylum regime, but this is largely incidental to the story - it is a truth, perhaps, of asylum life at a particular time and place, but one upon which neither Paul nor the story need dwell.

Though this story is at times traumatic and always moving, it is also incredibly funny. By the end, in spite of it all, one is left with a sense of optimism and even warmth.

Until 26 August.