Dan Colley demonstrates that this short story by Gabriel García Márquez is made for theatre. Appreciation of the tale tends to focus on its ambiguity: connections between events defy comprehension and it’s hard to distinguish sincerity from irony in the narrator’s voice. The production is wonderfully playful with the act of storytelling itself, while shifts in stage mechanics and modes of acting sensitively demarcate scenes and characters.

Karen McCartney’s many voices are imperiously entertaining; Manus Halligan’s less verbal performance makes an intriguing contrast that befits the tale. Amusing little clashes between the two actors over how to use their figurine characters and collaborate vocally are a fine way to illustrate humility; they command attention and provoke laughter just as much in children as in adults. 

Márquez’s story exhibits the delicate balance between wonderment and derision. It is less concerned with extraordinary phenomena than with the people who react to them, people who are often prejudiced and callous. As lighting and musical motifs are subtly manipulated to slide from eerie to gaudy, audiences are transported between miracles and circuses.

Summerhall, until 28 August, 10am.