Edinburgh 's Theatre Objektiv must be doing something right judging by this sold out show. Maybe Russian politics are in vogue at the moment

Karl Marx's Beard is a rather odd show, part absurdist fantasy, part tense thriller; overriding both of these, though, is the omnipresence of the political background, much to the productions detriment.

There are some rather amusing sections particularly from the tall gangly Matthew Zarjac which raise a chuckle but unfortunately both actors comic abilities are lost in the weighty script.

This play feels as though a lecture on the Russian revolution has been lifted from the university lecture room and transposed onto the stage. Full of political jokes and in-depth arguments much of the play is only comprehensible to those who have at least a little knowledge of Russian history and communism.

Writer Raymond Raszkowski Ross is obviously a very intelligent man who knows his subject inside out. Unfortunately this does not make up for the lack of dramatic action.