Ed Reardon, who many will be familiar with from the Radio 4 show ‘Ed Reardon’s Week’, is an unsuccessful and disillusioned author who would like to send Julian Barnes and Ian McEwen the contents of his cat’s litter box. This is a sharp and polished production, depicting a series of episodes from the life of Ed Reardon, brought excellently to life with the able assistance of his ‘basketeers’ – two actors who play the vast array of characters with whom Reardon’s narrative has intersected over the years. Packed with funny and intelligent lines, (“Talk dirty in Esperanto to me”, “pick-lit” to describe hard-hitting novels about the North), this literary satire fizzes with wit from start to finish.

Pleasance Courtyard, 3 – 29 Aug, 4.00pm (5.00pm), £8.50 – £12.00, fpp259.
tw rating 4/5
[sj]