Edinburgh Festival Fringe Review: Invisible Show II (****)

If you’ve ever been tempted to eavesdrop on the conversations of fellow festival-goers, this show is for you. Handed a pair of headphones, you’re sent out into the crowded Pleasance Courtyard where you try to track down the people whose voices you hear in your ears.

Created by Fringe veterans Red Shift Theatre Company, Invisible Show II allows you to listen in on intimate moments from people’s lives. There’s an element of fun in trying to locate the people speaking, but this inevitably gives way to unease when you realise you’re effectively spying on them.

And the unease continues with some of the content: alongside more everyday, even humorous snippets, there are marital problems, broken affairs, health worries. Even at its darkest moments, though, the show is a profoundly moving experience, a call for empathy, and a reminder of our common humanity.

Invisible Show II, Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 August, 11:30, 14:00 & 16:30.