Fringe review: CASTING THE RUNES, Box Tale Soup - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

MR James' classic ghost story gets a revamp for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, with the introduction of puppetry and a haunting original soundtrack.

Scholar and sceptic, Professor Edward Dunning is an expert on the supernatural but when the mysterious Mr Karswell appears, his life becomes a waking nightmare. How will he ever be the same again?

It's a chilling atmosphere right from the start and there is no doubt that we are going to be sitting on the edge of our seats. The set is used practically, with just a few small flats that cleverly adapt into bookshelves, sideboards, office desks and blackboards, and a couple of free standing 'street lamps' which move to shift focus from scene to scene.

Directed by Adam Lenson and with a cast of only two, the addition of puppets for the remaining characters is both entertaining and intriguing. In particular, the Mr Karswell puppet adds a further layer of suspense as he appears silently in the background.

The lighting design and music all work wondrously together to create the most integral suspense and the cast are seamless in their delivery of the story, inhabiting the genre marvellously.

Whether you're a sceptic yourself or a fanatic of ghostly goings on, this is the perfect tale to experience at the Fringe this year. We can highly recommend it for an eerie afternoon's viewing.

Chilling and mysterious.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

Casting the Runes plays at The Pleasance Courtyard at 11.45am until 27 August.