What’s been happening in Taiwan is very much a hot-button geopolitical issue of today. From that country comes The Way Back, a show that’s very much for kids, but also one that, like the best of Pixar’s movies, can offer plenty of insight for open-minded adults. Taking place against a sparely sketched background of political turmoil and war, The Double Theatre’s wordless, visually potent production is a parable in the style of Günter Grass’ The Tin Drum; a slight narrative about a young boy torn apart by conflict who sets about connecting his own body back together. 

The boy has been blown apart by an explosion; his right arm is the first to realise that all is not lost, and forms an alliance with the left arm, which becomes disengaged while the search for the legs and torso goes on. So there’s a universal meaning for children about pulling yourself together in a crisis, but it’s also something that can be seen as a political metaphor for those inclined to think about the symbolism.

Either way, The Way Back is a beautifully conceived and performed wordless ballet of puppetry; in a style familiar from Avenue Q, the puppeteers are visible on stage, but the audience are able to filter them out because the illusion they create has a genuine uncanny magic about it. With a single puppeteer behind each appendage, individual body parts seems real in movement and intent, and the way that expressiveness is somehow conjured up on a limb-by-limb basis is extraordinary to watch. 

The Way Back ends with the expected coup de theatre for a climax, as the boy comes back to a cohesive whole, arms and legs swinging with life. But there’s also little micro details in this production that sing, from the use of models and shadow to artfully suggest landscapes, to the spectacular, colourful streamers that represent the explosive nature of military conflict.

Gentle and lyrical rather than hectoring and frightening, The Way Back may have different meanings for different audiences, but it’s very much in the spirit of the Fringe to create such an intense and unusual work with these simple ingredients. The charming puppetry here eventually conjures up a show that’s far more than the sum of its parts.

The Way Back, Summerhall, until 27 August, 4.20pm.