Compagnie le Fils du Grand Réseau’s dramaturgy is undeniably distinctive: an absurdist, episodic story told in a language that hovers around the edges of comprehensibility and a scenography of cardboard objects labelled with descriptive words. The Ice Hole is a striking and at times hilarious visual production that demonstrates how imagination is key both to the performers and an audience.

There are times where repetition of set-pieces stretch the comedy, and a gradual tension between the two performers feels like an attempt to justify its 75-minute running time and pre-empt the audience’s potential frustration. Yet this broad comedy maintains the energy and covers the inconsequential narrative with a charming playfulness. The Ice Hole is a display of theatrical inventiveness that may at times lose direction (rather like our protagonist in a quest for his beloved mermaid) but it thrives on good humour and two charismatic performances. 

The Ice Hole: A Cardboard Comedy, Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 1pm.