Birdboy is billed as a show for audiences aged from seven upwards, but plenty of seven-year-olds (and older) would be unnerved by how dark and shadowy this piece by acclaimed Irish choreographer Emma Martin is, especially with Dunk Murphy’s eerie soundtrack. Its long opening sequence sees solo performer Kévin Coquelard dancing and lip-syncing to a frenzied series of songs and audio clips at manic pace, as if on the verge of a breakdown.

It’s a virtuosic performance from Coquelard, who is working incredibly hard (but perhaps younger viewers will only see his clownish abilities). A rusty old car is parked on the stage, which Coquelard tumbles into, over and through, repeatedly. Later on, he hurtles through the air in a flying leap, more than embodying Birdboy, the imagined alter ego of this lonely character, the one others call a “weirdo”, an outsider – the kind of kid this show is a tribute to.

It’s a piece about alienation and it is alienating. The anxiety and fear of the boy seeps across the threshold. That is a kind of success. But for a good portion of the 40-minute work it’s hard to connect with who this character is. Martin’s previous work, across dance, opera and film, is physical and conceptual and that’s true of Birdboy, too. She deliberately didn’t want to pander to ideas about what a children’s show should be and that is certainly the case here. There is a cartoonishness at play, but a coldness too.

Except then there are moments of spark: a shadow-puppet backstory; the balloon ghosts made of helium-filled plastic bags that look like jellyfish hovering in anticipation, or perhaps the boy’s tormentors; a child’s voice, offering insight into an inner world; hated smells and sensations (the fridge, itchy jumpers), dreaded family gatherings (“they always ask the same questions”), favourite things (learning random facts) and this character starts to become human, a vulnerable child but also a distinct personality.

Martin is clearly a choreographer of strong vision. This work has had rave reviews elsewhere and for some kids, Birdboy may be revelatory, but as a piece of theatre it remains hard to break through that disturbing tone. If it is intended as a redemption story, it doesn’t entirely feel that way.