There are two supernatural Fringe offerings this year entitled Ritual, To distinguish between this one and Ritual by Untamed Circus, the latter adds the company name to its show title, thankfully, as they’re very different beasts.

Ritual Events is the creative mind behind this show. It endeavours to explore “the intersection of art, psychology and ritual.”

The audience is invited to mask up and enter a dark world of forbidden fruits, guided by cloaked cultists whose faces are far more hidden than those of the audience.

The costuming and makeup of Ritual are first class. The stellar cast never break character interacting and leading the audience, adding to the thick, ominous air of mystery and the dark veil of threat that lingers in the shadows of anticipation.

The journey takes the audience through two very different experiences that ask us to question ourselves and recognise what sits behind the masks we wear.

One of these experiences blends traditional eastern and Arabic dance styles with modern eroticism to explore the concept of lust. The two dancers show enough flesh to ooze the necessary sex appeal and they smoothly seduce each other and the audience, but they play it too safe which works against the narrative of the piece. The minimal audience interaction keeps it heterosexual with no hint of sexual or gender fluidity. Lust can sometimes open the door wider than we expect to new experiences but there’s none to be had here. The dancers themselves also refrain from touching each other in any way more than would be found in any dance recital. Is the dance sexy? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Is it making us explore or question our own desires? No.

The second experience on offer is a séance, pushing us to face our fear. There is some brief strobe lighting and overly emotive yelling but the dark setting, table pieces, haunting music and sound effects make this the most effective of the two. The audience participation leans more towards comical responses rather than perhaps what the writers intended, but this just adds light to an otherwise creepy, grim glimpse of despair.

The fast wrap up at the end is once again visually pleasing but the script has the narrator reiterating the show’s messages in case you missed it. It’s a short wrap up of a short show that leaves the audience wanting more. Perhaps a third experience before the wrap up would make the ticket price more friendly.

Ritual is good fun, with a great cast and even better costuming and make up. It’s a shame no one is named to be given the credit they richly deserve. While it’s not without its disappointments, punters will still get a thrill.