This rather intriguing piece of theatre takes us down a fascinating road of cultural discovery, although not necessarily the one it starts out on. In it, we’re taken on what appears to be an absolutely conventional tour of Edinburgh’s McEwan Hall, yet the history it appears to retell merely uses the mighty Victorian monument to philanthropy to quite different ideological ends. What emerges is an account of the history we choose to conceal, both political and personal. Tour guide Peter Reder begins slowly to explore not just the building, but the entire nature and purpose of the heritage industry, as well as interrogating the ideological purposes of the production of history. He moves, fascinatingly, from old McEwan himself, to none other than Frankfurt School Marxist Walter Benjamin, and finally through to an apparently personal vision, exploring not so much history, as memory and subjectivity within the context of hegemonic political process. Which makes it all seem pretty heavy, but actually it’s endearing and lightly amusing, with a rather self effacing and likeable host, interacting modestly with his audience, at the centre.

Steve Cramer/ The List/ 18August 2005/issue 529