Review: Sh!t Theatre: Or What's Left of Us

Despite previous Fringe successes, Sh!t Theatre avoid formulae: after a gap of five years from Edinburgh, they delve into folk music, discovering a new perspective for performance and, crucially, the hope of revival after a time of torpor. Using the song of John Barleycorn – a celebration of the grain that gives forth beer – the duo lingers in their anguish but finds hope, or something close to joy.

Sh!t Theatre have clearly been in the doldrums: even their visit to a traditional folk club is made miserable by the subsequent fire-bombing of the venue. Yet like the Japanese bowls that become another motif throughout the performance, they find a way to repair, to embrace the pain and make beauty from the broken. A selection of traditional tunes are given stunning renderings: if they are edging towards gig theatre from their roots in performance arts, they combine the earnest sincerity of folk music and a wry, ironic humour.

Without rejecting pain and despair – the melancholic tone morphs into a DIY ritual that accepts disappointment and grief – Sh!t Theatre seeks redemption, alluding to the rural paganism hidden in folk songs. Charismatic and eloquent, Or What’s Left of Us is a raw and honest piece of theatre.