The Babysitter @ Pleasance Courtyard

If any of my interviews, trials or first nights as a babysitter had gone anything like it does for the unsuspecting Aaron in InDepth's The Babysitter then frankly I'd be out of a job. 

Somehow, though, Aaron seems hell-bent on making it work and it looks as though he'll pull it off regardless of the obstacles – some serious, some ridiculous, some hilarious – that are put in front of him. While the reasoning behind Aaron's instant commitment to this family and this particular child are made obvious to us as the play unfolds, he is sort of sidelined and used unfairly as a backdrop for the unravelling of the real issues within the family. Issues which at first seem trivial and maybe a little stereotypical – paranoid mother, irresponsible rebellious older daughter, mollycoddled child and a father who can barely get a word in between them – become much more serious, much darker and give the actors much more emotional weight as the play goes on. This is its saving grace.

While the comic elements are funny, they seem superficial and wouldn't stand out on their own from the Fringe's crowded comic theatre scene. When the emotional weight hits however, it's a different story. The sudden change in atmosphere created by the actors' demeanours as they shift their performances across the board is palpable. Suddenly, The Babysitter becomes a play that matters more than just an hour of comic or farcical interactions. Its lighthearted relief is its draw, but it's the depth that will make you glad you went. [Emma Ainley-Walker]