Apparently the world kind of sucks right now. Everywhere you turn there is something else wrong. Illegal wars, terrorists, government corruption, sexual deviance, rape, murder, child abuse…the list is endless. And thus there is The Factory, a place where all the wrongs of society and horrors exist for man to live, explore and deplore.

In this one-man show, writer and performer Al Seed explores these wrongs through physical theatre. Taken into ‘The Factory’ one man is possessed by different objects he finds turning him into different types of people with their various terrible vices. Fuelled by a pounding electro-soundtrack, with barely any dialogue, he portrays the demons lurking in the shadows of peoples’ souls.

This production is clearly not for everyone, exemplified all too clearly in the two audience members who walked out during the performance. Whether the show was lost in interpretation or the physicality and themes were too extreme, is hard to say, but this is a brutal physical assault on life. Al Seed is mesmerising throughout and it is hard to tear ones eyes away from the grotesque yet beautiful images he creates. This is a man whose body truly is his art and every movement he makes is so precise and choreographed it is a pleasure to watch. The original electro-soundtrack acts to pull you into the action even further and lighting states create illusionary atmospheres where at times you would swear the action had been sped up if it wasn’t happening right in front of you. The basic idea is simple, but the subtleties of the story are left entirely to interpretation of the physicality. There is no doubt in the fact that Seed is a true artist, but this is defiantly not to everyone’s taste.

Smirnoff Baby Belly, The Caves, Niddry St South (0870 745 3038)
Preview Aug 3-4: 16:35 (1hr) £5
Aug 5-6, 11-13, 18-20, 25-27: 16:35 (1hr) £9 (£8)
Aug 7, 9-10, 14, 16-17, 21, 23-24: 16:35 (1hr) £8 (£7)