Italian Horror Stories ****

Grand Guignol de Milan, fresh from their recent triumphant, award-winning show at Prague Fringe, export a further series of vignettes, all with a distinctly Italian flavour and themed around the company’s stated raison d’être to revive Italian horror stories.

Gianfilippo Lamberti takes to the stage, elegantly attired and with horns on his forehead. The Devil is the host and puppetmaster for the evening; however, he is interrupted by Salvatore (Lorenzo Balducci), not only raising religious concerns, but questioning the validity of the genre itself. The first scene is as much a historical reminder as anything else: the tale of Italian mummification, with its origins covering the peninsula from the Po Valley to the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo.

The action ramps up significantly next, with the tale of The Woman in Black. While we are familiar with the modern take on this story, its roots lie in Milan, where according to legend a woman in black stalked and murdered unsuspecting people on foggy nights.

Bram Stoker’s infamous nineteenth century tale was not only a classic in its own right, its influence has proven pervasive for a century and a quarter since and shows no signs of relenting. Cinema, radio, television and literature. Yet, the origins of the vampire story are also Italian and the third vignette introduces a vampire from Bergamo (Stefano Comotti).

Salvatore’s dialogues with the Devil continue to punctuate the scenes and he is still unconvinced about the storytelling. However, Lucifer has left the most alarming to last, with a version of Frankenstein. The novel was conceived in Geneva, but once again with significant Italian influence, this time from the San Severo area of Naples. The outstanding Michelangiola Torriani delivers a physical masterclass breathing life, in a somewhat unexpected way, into a reanimated corpse.

The storytelling is, on the whole, sharp once the production hits its stride after a somewhat languid start. All the performers are versed in physical theatre and the ensemble is tight, fluid and displays excellent comedic timing, at times perhaps even improvised. The troupe use mime, clowning and physical theatre adeptly, with Torriani’s marionette being a highlight.

The company’s creative goals and some stylistic choices may not quite speak to everyone outside of Italy, but this is a fine production, delivered by genuinely skilled performers.

We may not have too much sympathy for the Devil, but tonight at Edinburgh Fringe we were most assuredly pleased to meet him.