Royal Highland Showground
18 - 22 Aug; 7:30pm (9:30pm) 

Ever since the game-changing Fuerzabruta a couple of years ago, Edinburgh's been waiting for its next immersive spectacular: for a show which assaults the senses, thrills the audience and shakes the Festival out of its well-trodden routine.  That show just might be coming in 2009.  But this time, it's no product of the Fringe... it's the refined and highbrow International Festival which brings us Faust.

It will, though, be a much darker affair.  Performed in Romanian with English super-titles, it's a streamlined version of Goethe's classic text - concentrating on Faust's battle with an androgynous, mannequin-like Mephistopheles.  As Faust signs his pact with the Devil and then sees what he has become, his despair is translated to fantastical imagery; the macabre, we're promised, will be rendered on a massive scale.

Not all such spectaculars live up to their hype, but we don't think Faust will disappoint.  Reviews from Romania speak of an 100-strong cast, choirs and a rock band, towering puppets, pyrotechnics, and awe-inspiring visual effects.  There's praise for the attention to detail, with symbolism-rich refinements offsetting the grandness of the staging, and a section's performed in promenade; we expect it to be both deeply disturbing and utterly thrilling to be thrust into the nightmare of Faust's collapsing world.

There's one big downside: you'll need to schlep out to the Royal Highland Showground near Edinburgh Airport, the only venue large enough to contain the action.  Still, the modest (for the EIF) £20 ticket price is decent compensation, and the fast and frequent airport bus runs tolerably close by.  We'd advise early booking for this one: word spreads quickly, and one date (Saturday 22) is already sold out.