Four performers enter the auditorium and walk among us but they’re sizing up the space not the audience. On stage is a scaffold structure with a cutaway design and a white facade featuring several doors, which soon frame a series of comings and goings. With this much slamming it’s no surprise that there’s an element of farce as the cast move in and out, become human dominoes and narrowly miss each other.
No one has time to knock during the frantic arrivals. I’d recommend taking a side seat so you can appreciate the full effect. So far so frivolous in this family-friendly Belgian production, although there’s a cheeky hint at what might be happening behind those closed doors and whether swiping right is a factor among the increasing acrobatics.
Choreographed by Piet Van Dycke, the show then knuckles down to more serious tricks, with the performers undertaking a series of costume changes that are so subtle you don’t notice them at first. Bastiaan van Vuuren’s initially twinkling score moves from accentuating light intrigue and comedy to building tension. Arjan Kruidhof and Arjen Schoneveld’s simple-seeming set opens up new possibilities when one wall becomes a giant teeterboard and one performer almost reaches the lighting rig.
There’s a rotating cast and today’s quartet – Harrison Claxton, Luuk Brantjes, Christopher McAuley and Samuel Rhyner – have strength, skill and charisma, working harmoniously as a team. But the premise could become knottier yet and the production ultimately rests for too long in one register. I was reminded of the circus show Sawdust Symphony in this space two years ago and how it got richer by the minute.
This fun symphony of swinging doors is more of an open-and-shut case – a bit of extra mystery wouldn’t go amiss. At Zoo Southside, Edinburgh, until 30 August
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