Discipline and Punish

As Shakespeare recreations, stories about sex and anti-Bush treatises dominate the Fringe programme, finding a play that challenges its audience with originality and confidence can be a rare thing. So when you come across a show that not only challenges your perceptions but doesn't force its own message upon you, the effects can be mind-alteringly brilliant.

Discipline and Punish, the latest play by theatre company SUDS, does this with style, although doesn't quite achieve that lofty artistic pinnacle. Essentially, it's a stimulating exploration of the realm of torture, its constituents and its limits. Six individuals of varying personalities – from a thuggish delinquent to a school mistress-like instructor – find themselves in an empty, hollow room. The only thing adorning its black walls is an ominous sign, instructing them not to talk or leave, and promising punishment on anyone who does so.

The ridiculousness of the concept isn't lost on its characters, who, at first, attempt to think of a multitude of ways to amuse themselves. But confusion and hilarity soon give way to a much darker world, where forbidding bells deliver unexpected torment. The unfolding narrative evades answers at every turn, letting the audience establish for itself who is inflicting this punishment and what it could possibly mean.

Despite its intriguing qualities, Discipline and Punish is weakened by its over-reliance on guesswork to maintain momentum. The tension slowly builds up over the course of the play, but the atmosphere isn't always as fraught as it should be to ensure that we are truly terrified. Still, it's a distinctive premise that stands out from the flock and conjures up a sort of Lynchian poignancy that keeps its audience guessing throughout, and long after the play is over.