Described as a Hitchcockian love story, Insomniac’s Fable is a subverted tale of ‘boy meets girl’ told through dance and circus tricks. It begins with circus artist Sakari Männistö acting almost as a puppeteer, manoeuvring his dance partner, Erin O’Toole. As the show continues though, she starts to take control of the dance, exerting more and more dominance over him, before they perhaps reach a balance of power.

At times reminiscent of old Hollywood (O’Toole seems to channel Cyd Charisse in particular) and at other times Lynchian, Insomniac’s Fable creates a captivating dreamscape that delves into ideas of gender, power and love. The show uses everything at its disposal, telling its story not only via dance but also through an extremely varied soundtrack and beautiful woodcuts projected onto the curtain. The performers themselves utilise this curtain well too, projecting dynamic shadows or otherwise dancing behind it, further adding to the sense of unreality. However, while Insomniac’s Fable broadly succeeds in its surreal exploration of relationships, it does sometimes cross the line into deliberately esoteric territory. 

The dancing and tricks themselves are very beautiful and a pleasure to watch, but in contrast to the storytelling, they often feel a bit simplistic visually;  there is nothing to truly take your breath away (plus there are a few mistakes during the juggling tricks). Nevertheless, Insomniac’sFable is certainly a show that will captivate audiences and leave them thinking about it well after exiting the theatre. 

Insomniac’s Fable, Summerhall, until 27 August, 11am.