Theatre Review: Taiwan Season: Fish, Summerhall, Edinburgh

Acha finds a bicycle, and seeks to satisfy his beloved Grandfather’s longing for a fish from the distant sea.
Fish is designed with hearing-impaired audiences in mind.Fish is designed with hearing-impaired audiences in mind.
Fish is designed with hearing-impaired audiences in mind.

Taiwan Season: Fish, Summerhall, Edinburgh * *

The story is endearing but the puppetry consists of a single expressionless manikin, with few theatrical tricks, and hand-held scenery cut-outs.

Fish is aimed at, though not limited to, hearing-impaired people, which this reviewer is not; but with a charismatic cast at work here, there seemed too many information sources. For Grandfather and boy there is a voice actor in Taiwanese, a sign-language actor, unassigned English dialogue on the back screen, and two puppet manipulators: seven or eight on stage for a two-handed story.

Until 25 August