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felt rather like I was watching a group of my own family on stage: the acting is amateurish, but the likeability of the cast helps to overcome that.
This play tells us the story of Dennis and Anna, a middle-aged couple who, along with a group of their friends, take on this 26-mile walk. However, they take it on separately: Dennis in the past, playing the enthusiastic walker encouraging his pals and Anna in the present day, commemorating Dennis a year after his own walk.
They establish, during the opening monologue delivered by Anna, that Dennis has passed away, so we understand the flashback elements of the narrative quite quickly. The opening monologue is delivered tenderly and it's a lovely and emotional start to the show.
As the two groups navigate the hills, there are lovely moments of comedy and nostalgia between the trios. The whole show is punctuated by three waistcoated narrators who deliver snippets of historical facts about the peaks, which brings a nice sense of context but does make the play feel rather traditional and stiff.
The age range in this cast, from musicians to actors, is impressive and there's definitely a familial feel to the whole thing that's very endearing. I felt rather like I was watching a group of my own family on stage: the acting is amateurish, but the likeability of the cast helps to overcome that. A nice story, told with charm and enthusiasm.
