iron crackSet between three rooms and a whole range of visceral emotions, Iron Crack is both a widely experimental and tepidly clichéd experience that is kept afloat through a terrific standout performance.

Upon being guided into the first room, the audience spread themselves against four walls heavily wallpapered by stock charts and formulae. On the floor is Green, a junior banker of sorts who lies prone with eyes open. Soon a trio of loud but mostly uninteresting bankers come through and welcome Green to their cutthroat business world. As is the way throughout Iron Crack, we’re never in one place for too long and soon enough a blue rope herds the audience to the next room.

Whilst the concept is undeniably interesting, movement between rooms soon feel more like a crutch for moving scenes ahead rather than an ethereal theatric experience. Part of the problem is the tired subject matter: bankers, cocaine, catchphrases, the corruption of power – all done to death before.

It is when John Rennie’s Fredrick enters that things get interesting. Symbolically, perhaps he quickly does away with the rope that guides the audience and encourages us to follow him throughout. Rennie is a true force to be reckoned with, wily and endlessly energetic, spouting endless cocky cockneyisms between downed shots and exotically named pills. Though the open-ended staging of Iron Crack encourages the audience to explore the space and analyse what each character is doing, pretty much all the eyes were on Fredrick throughout. Early on he asked a member of the audience to tell him what to do and you get the feeling that Rennie’s commitment would see no bounds.

Danielle Fentiman’s Munroe must also be commended, a seductive confident presence who commands the small space with style. It is worth saying here perhaps that this is a show that certainly shouldn’t be rated 12+, some of the early scenes in particular are incredibly, almost needlessly graphic, especially uncomfortable to watch in such close quarters.

With its confusing plot and somewhat gimmicky three-room set up Iron Crack feels like a wasted opportunity for Rennie, but it is certainly one to watch for an exceptional standout performance.

Iron Crack is at the C nova (Venue 145) until 16 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.