If you see only one performance in the Russian season at the Fringe, Engineering Theatre AKHE’s Mr Carmen is certainly the one to see. Loosely alluding to Merime’s text where José’s signs his last letter with “Carmen”, the hero and his alter ego enter a battle for the right to life and recognition in this enthralling two-man piece. Performed without a single spoken word, they are constantly fighting for the right to exist and erasing each other in the process.

The set is an intricate cross between creation and invention: a low-tech installation of rotating string and constantly moving objects. The actors build and modify both the set and themselves throughout, as if the things around them were the backdrop and lifeline for a passionate relationship that is bound to go beyond the border. Each time the name Carmen is written, José is only half a step behind to erase and follow. The gesture is returned, matched and developed, as a battle between the two ensues. I would be tempted to use the word absurd, were it not for the inner logic that seems so evident in the abstract storyline of their developing relationship. Each twist of writing names, whether on paper, in projected light, on salted floor or in slimy vinegar, seems a surprising yet obvious development from the previous. As a spectator I was transfixed, questioning how this relationship will ever be resolved, if a resolution is indeed possible.

Crossing the final line, the piece ends with a poetic integrity that remains with you as you leave the room. One audience member simply said “what they are doing…it’s beautiful” – and I cannot help but agree. A longer description or undressing of what goes on will simply ruin what they are trying to say. Mr Carmen speaks to the full spectrum of human emotion with a sensitivity only true artists possess.

***** – 5/5 stars

Mr Carmen is playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until 27 August at Assembly Roxy. For more information and tickets, see the Edinburgh Fringe website.