Men in the Cities (Edinburgh Fringe)

Ben and Matthew wake up in bed, their own personal "den", as countless others do across the city. But today will end tragically for this likeable young couple, who like many other men will find their hopes and dreams crumble to dust in this dark urban tapestry from writer and performer Chris Goode.

Goode addresses us from a microphone against a backdrop of desk fans (the full effects of which will be unleashed in the latter stages). His tone ranges from a light whimsy to out-and-out nihilistic rage as he explores the state of modern masculinity, from a ten-year-old boy addicted to graphic gay porn to a pensioner obsessed by the recent murder of Lee Rigby.

There’s a firehose of ideas and strands, and at times it's near-impossible to get a handle on everything being described. Ben’s decision to take his own life is relayed with devastating accuracy as he painstakingly lines up the painkillers, but it's swiftly followed by a multitude of other vignettes that distance us from the tragedy.

Goode even adds himself to the maelstrom of men, movingly breaking character to describe his writer’s block. But when the range of subjects broadens to take in David Cameron, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Allen and the fate of flight MH370, his central theme is stretched to breaking point. All this considered, director Wendy Hubbard controls proceedings admirably, and when Ben’s bereaved father Brian breaks down in front of an imaginary 'twink angel' pornstar, she skilfully choreographs the play's most arresting moment, as Goode lets fly in a gut-wrenching, half-heard rant.

It's a messy and in some respects frustrating piece, offering a bleak take on the modern masculine crisis. I was particularly depressed by the Larkin-esque attitude towards fathers, as summarised by Goode’s final act, to kill off his framing character Rod together with his young son. There's undoubtedly the kernel of something truly exceptional here, but it needs a little pruning.

Men in the Cities continues at the Traverse Theatre until 24 August

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