Showing @ Summerhall, Edinburgh until Sun 25 Aug (not 19, 20) @ 14:00

The unnamed central character in Stellar Quines’ award-winning production is a woman who likes order. She keeps a tidy house, her children are neat and she makes carefully categorised lists. She likes her friend Caroline but is uncomfortable visiting her chaotic house. Except Caroline, we are told at the beginning of this stunning monologue, is dead. And it is her friend’s fault.

So begins the story of a woman totally disconnected from those around her. She manages to retain a tenuous link to the world via her only friendship and imposes what control she is able to in order to cope with her isolated and unsatisfying life.

Maureen Beattie delivers a performance entirely worthy of the hype. She is not only heartbreaking but also deeply engaging and entirely sympathetic. The subject matter is tragic but many moments of brittle, bitchy humour mean the sadness does not entirely overwhelm the production. Stellar Quines have been delivering acclaimed theatre for twenty years and The List has been reprised following the success of its original run. See it and you will understand why they are one of Scotland’s most respected companies.