It’s pleasing that a show so quintessentially French should also feel so perfectly Edinburgh. (Le) PAIN features fresh baguettes (as in ‘cooked right in front of your eyes’ fresh), idyllic French village life and tales of the trials and tribulations of a fourth-generation baker. There’s also circus, nudity, bagpipes (the French ones), audience participation and an entire section about poo: it seems the Auld Alliance is alive and well.

_{Picture: Chris Nash}

There’s a sense of memoir and simple story-sharing that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Book Festival stage; this is narration rather than acting, which makes some of the early switches into a more theatrical style feel a little jarring. That it works (and it does work) is down to the skills of baker-cum-circus performer Jean-Daniel ‘JD’ Broussé, who narrates his life story with good-natured charm and honesty, interwoven with a masterclass on the magical properties of flour, yeast and time. As the show develops alongside his dough, the sights, sounds and smells all come together to create a compelling piece that defies categorisation. 

JD is intensely likeable; the audience roots for him from the start, and when he breaks down the walls between JD the boulanger and JD the performer, it becomes clear there was only one way this story could ever have gone. Baking’s loss is our gain, as is a timely reminder that running away to join the circus is not only a proper life plan, but it’s one worth breaking a few baguettes for. 

Assembly Roxy, until 28 August, 4pm.