Charlie Victor Romeo

A glossary of aviation jargon is provided in the programme, but it doesn't take an expert to explain that a 'catastrophic rupture' during a flight is very bad news.

This show recreates a series of emergencies in the air: most of them involving hundreds of passengers; most resulting in a huge loss of life.

This is verbatim theatre created without the explicit consent of those speaking, who doubtless never dreamed that the recordings would ever be offered as public entertainment. The fact that the show serves as a tribute to the remarkable professionalism and courage of every crew member featured does not alter this fact.

If unsuccessful operations were transplanted to the stage without the consents of patients who died, the resultant show might at least have educational value - Charlie Victor Bravo promises 'a fascinating portrait of the psychology of crisis' but the same claim could be made of a snuff film.

The performances are excellent and the programme notes make much of the fact that the show has won numerous obscure awards and been performed for specialist groups such as students of engineering psychology. No doubt the piece has value, particularly for an audience with expert knowledge of the malfunctions described, but why it's at the Fringe is a mystery.