Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Soft Spot
Arttu Lahtinen and Stina Otterström
Genre: Acrobatics, Circus, Clown, Comedic, Physical Theatre
Venue: ZOO Southside – Main House
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Soft Spot transforms 300 wine glasses, wooden planks, light and sound into a fragile circus landscape. OLO Company’s two performers combine precision with moments of humour, building tension as their structures threaten to collapse. With no spoken language, this visually compelling show communicates across cultures while showcasing remarkable physical skill, imagination and trust.
Review
Soft Spot is a fascinating contemporary circus show built around a deceptively simple idea: two performers, wooden planks and 300 wine glasses. Through physical skill, lighting, sound and imagination, OLO Company creates an entire world onstage without relying on spoken language.
The core circus skill is balancing. At first, the performers appear relatively secure as they balance and walk across arrangements made from several wine glasses. The sequences begin to resemble a tightrope act, except the path beneath them is made from fragile glass. The tension increases as glasses are gradually removed until only one or two remain. As the performers move forward, they must reposition the glasses and follow the precarious pathway they are creating. Each step requires enormous concentration, physical control and trust. The possibility of collapse is always present.
The glasses are more than props: they become part of the scenography, reflecting the light and creating striking pictures across the stage. At one point, they are smashed in a moment that initially appears accidental. A playful element of clowning turns one performer into the comic culprit—or perhaps even the villain—responsible for the destruction. Later, the broken glass is shaped across the floor, creating a beautiful image as it catches the light. This visual callback transforms the earlier destruction into something unexpectedly delicate.
The atmospheric soundscape accompanies the visual elements and helps build the rhythm and intensity. Music, lighting and movement work together, allowing the mood to shift without needing a conventional spoken narrative.
The absence of dialogue also makes Soft Spot particularly accessible to international audiences and people who speak English as an additional language. Two Italian audience members beside me explained that they had chosen the show because they would not need English to understand it. Meaning is communicated through physical action, expression, sound and shared anticipation.
Soft Spot demonstrates the skill and preparation behind a performance that appears beautifully simple. It is an imaginative and visually compelling exploration of balance, fragility, destruction and trust.
