Following their success at the Edinburgh Festival in 2008 and 2009, Fringe award winners Le Navet Bete have returned to Edinburgh’s Bedlam Theatre for one night only as part of their ‘Tournip’ across the UK and the EUSA Fringe, for a second chance to see their latest production, Zemblanity.

Set in an unknown time and place, Zemblanity follows the exploits of unlucky German clown, Hans (Nick Bunt) as a serious of bizarre and eerie events leads him to not only discover, but also lose (and then begin a quest to reclaim) his one true love. But his journey isn’t an easy one, as his travels are peppered with miscommunications, dark memories and an energetic encounter with Mother Dance (Matt Freeman).

With a title taken from the word coined by William Boyd in his 1999 book, 'Armadillo', Zemblanity refers to the unexpected discovery of bad things, or things we just don’t want to know. Apparently inspired by Russian nuclear testing on the Arctic island of Zembla during the Cold War, the unusual title itself ignites the imagination. Full of gymnastic high-jinx from the very beginning, the five-strong male cast perform enviable high-energy physical feats in the darly comic sequel to their popular show, Serendipity.

Old fashioned slapstick, audience participation and ridicule are key components of this piece, which is ultimately as technically slick as it is visually stunning. Like a ghoulish circus from a dark and forgotten time, the show uses rhyming couplets, live music and grotesque puppeteers to create a colourfully absurdist distraction from everyday life. While, by their own admission, the play is about "nothing in particular", Zemblanity takes a gleeful nose dive into the unknown, but in doing so, questions who we are, what we want, and where we’re going. This is a welcome wander into escapism in its purest and most joyous form.