The third part of the Bane trilogy hits the Edinburgh Fringe, and true to form, this final segment lives up to the potential of the first two plays whilst neatly sidestepping the frenetic confusion which lessened the impact of Bane 2.
Bane picks up where we left him at the close of the second act; entering his apartment filled with a sense of regret at his accidental drug-fuelled assault on his kindly neighbour, being confronted by his arch nemesis Shelby and shot in the stomach. After a thrilling and hysterically funny chase, the play takes a shift of gears as Bane leaves the city in disguise, trying to go straight and live a normal life. Inevitably this goes awry and he is drawn back into conflict with his old life.
As ever the action is accompanied by Ben Roe's master guitar playing; constantly teasing out the music that defines this Fringe favourite series of plays. Equally, Joe Bone inhabits the stage like a whirlwind of adrenaline, painting it in a flurry of characters, foley effects and darkly comic humour. This chapter in the life of Bruce P Bane may now be closed but the lingering promise that he may return is enough to ensure that we may yet enjoy more of these brilliantly clever and referential shows from this master team.