When Wiesenthal begins, you feel yourself settling into the rhythm of typical mid-morning Fringe theatre fare. The staginess of a modest set is charming, and seams in the show’s technical aspects are apparent; all symptoms of what would seem to be an engaging but unremarkable history lesson.

But Wiesenthal, the story of Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, grows into something profound and compelling: a case study of the political and social failures to memorialise the Holocaust, seen through the frustrated but determined efforts of a man who never forgot.

Christopher C Gibbs’ lone performance is commanding in its warmth, broken only by a sincere, trembling fury at fascist atrocities. He acts as our mournful historian, reminding us of the ease of repressing an ugly past and the difficulty individuals face trying to level with mass historical amnesia. Seen through the lens that is Wiesenthal, reckoning with history becomes a heartrending and necessary ordeal.

Wiesenthal, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 11am.