Strangers in the night

In his 2002 play Greenfields, Riccardo Galgani took a barbed look at life in the 'burbs. But for follow-up The Found Man, he's changed tack entirely.

The play takes place within an isolated coastal community in the mid-19th century. Town elder Rafter (John Stahl), hermit-like carpenter James Moffat (the ever-excellent Liam Brennan) and John and Mary Gear (Michael Moreland and Molly Innes) are preparing for the arrival of the mysterious Sinclair.

Rafter assures them he is just the man to bring prosperity to the community and help them deal with an increasingly changed world - though how is never made clear.

But a storm at sea brings a different stranger, whose arrival is greeted with suspicion and sparks a deadly chain of events. Director/designer Philip Wilson's stark, pared-back set, complete with its portents of doom and talk of faith, provides the perfect framework for this austere piece about a community waiting to be led into salvation.

At its heart is the irrational - and all-too-topical - fear of the unknown and outsiders. But the characters could do with being fleshed out more, in order to lift their torment beyond mere stagecraft. Despite its scope, the piece is too hurriedly episodic in places, so you never become fully emotionally engaged.

Until Aug 28 (no perf Aug 15 and 22), Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, various times, £15, £9 concs.