In outline, Alex Robins’ documentary theatre show hits the sweet spot on the Venn diagram where dog lovers and those who believe that animals would do a better job than politicians should meet. The piece charts Robins’ foray to Idyllwild, an unincorporated community in California’s San Jacinto Mountains, where he becomes enchanted with the local mayor, a Golden Retriever (actually, a series of pups of related provenance: Mayor Max, like Dr Who, has the power to regenerate).

What starts out as a harmless canine caper, complete with cute slides and interludes featuring Robins in character as Max, gradually touches on the more sinister aspects of Idyllwild’s civic set-up, including Trumpian tendencies of many local residents, brushes with scientology and Messiah delusions. The problem here is that hints of darkness lurking under the surface of a mountain paradise are tantalisingly dangled without ever being fully explored. Having raised the prospect of venturing into more complex territory, Robins ultimately retreats into anthropomorphic dog impressions. He is an engaging, likeable performer, but he leaves us none the wiser as to what kind of story he’s trying to tell. 

Meet Mayor Max, Pleasance Courtyard, until 31 August, 12.30pm; picture: Southwest Theatre Photography.