Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut

Revived after a brief 2010 run at Oran Mor, this inspired and superbly performed homage to a cinematic classic thoroughly deserves to be top of your festival hit list.

Over the course of a hugely entertaining hour it offers dazzling gun-slinging, super-fast costume and accent changes and even the odd quiet moment of genuine emotion. It's also very funny.

So far, so Fringe. It might sound on paper like the kind of show that's rustled up in a few months before August and relies on audience goodwill to hang together, but in fact it's an incredibly slick and polished affair. The laughs come thick and fast and the dedication of the cast shines through – even before the tap-dancing kicks in.

Writer and director Morag Fullarton has been a stalwart of Scottish drama for decades, most notably as artistic director of Borderline Theatre Company, and has a CV of writing credits for the likes of Taggart and River City. This piece is something quite special, though, packed with affectionate gags and scene-setting little flourishes but nonetheless telling the story with sincerity and bags of charm.

And finally to the cast. Just when it seems as though one of the three actors is in danger of walking off with the show, another dashes onto the stage wearing a different hat to redress the balance.

It's hard to imagine more perfect casting than Gavin Mitchell (whose wild-eyed stunt man Twisty Leghorn and suave Rick Blaine are about as far apart physically as it's possible to get), Jimmy Chisholm (whose extraordinary vocal talents bring to life characters including the dubious Ugarte, the daft Captain Renault and the ice cool Victor Lazlo) and Clare Waugh (who switches from saloon girl to Nazi to the radiant Ilsa Lund without so much as a smudge to her make-up).

If you're wondering how a stunt man and a saloon girl fit into Casablanca, you'll just need to go and see the show. With Fringe previews only £5 at the start of August, you'll certainly get plenty of bang for your buck – plus a sense of pride at the quality of work Scotland produces all year round.