Boogie on the Bones @ Summerhall

Boogie on the Bones boasts a mightily talented cast. The act is held together by a combination of strong voices that blend to tell a singular narrative of youthful rebellion against an oppressive regime.

Set in Soviet-era Moscow, in the wake of Joseph Stalin’s death, Boogie on the Bones transitions between the drab shades of communist grief and the colours of a jazz-obsessed group of young singing and dancing rebels. Need breeds invention, so the youngsters rely on X-ray discs etched with music to supply the soundtrack to their daily lives.

Each prop is meticulously used, and no details are spared. The discs, instruments, record player, and even large artificial heads of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin and Stalin, are core to the production’s satirical pizzazz. At rare moments, the volume of the music drowns the actors’ delivery of dialogue, but the cast is generous with their energy, enunciation and style. The flair comes with the territory; the stilyagi – literally, ‘style hunters’ – are an essential catalyst and target of the narrative.

When MELS, the awkward android-like civilian, infiltrates the roentgenizdat (bone music) scene, his emotions betray his ideological contexts. His name is an acronym composed of the aforementioned political figures’ surnames. MELS’ identity contains a tension that could be fleshed out more clearly. However, there are various characters and stories to expound on, and for the most part, the show does so successfully. The play is a captivating and worthwhile enactment of the allure and the necessity of secret subcultures, and a testament to their ability to outlive the propaganda of a puritanical regime.

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Boogie on the Bones, Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre), until 31 Aug (not 17, 24), 5.45pm, £16-18.50.