^{Picture: M Crawford}

Sadiq Ali seamlessly fuses circus, dance and storytelling in this duet performed with Alexandre Duran Davins. The Chosen Haram is never punctuated by audience applause, not because the skills don’t warrant it (they very much do); but when Ali hoists himself upside down on the Chinese pole, or plunges from the top to the bottom, he does so with such intense immersion in his character it seems like the most natural way in the world to express himself. 

This boy-meets-boy tale tells of the knotty relationship between a Muslim and a party animal as they navigate romance, chemsex and faith. Both Ali and Davins are wonderful physical performers, but Ali has a particular feel for using the pole to create an unusual image: he grasps it with his knees and prays, and suddenly our world is turned on its side. Or he makes his body into a minaret between two poles. His stagecraft is strikingly creative too; you will never look at rice the same way again. 

It’s a wild, powerful journey, and it would have been nice if it had found a little more resolution at the end. But in both its subject matter and the way it’s performed, this is a groundbreaking production.

Summerhall, until 27 August, 9pm.