On the Beach by John Osborne @ Pleasance Dome

The audience to John Osborne’s latest piece, On the Beach, enter the intimate venue at the Pleasance Dome to a video of vintage footage from seaside resorts with accompanying music. It’s an obvious play for the nostalgic appeal, despite the story being set in the modern day, and one that seems to go down well with the primarily older crowd. Osborne, whose show John Peel’s Shed sold out two years ago in a show at the Fringe, stands to the side of the projection screen and tells his story of a hot summer’s day spent at the beach.

Osborne has an eye for wry comedic observations, the kind that are the right side of quirky and quintessentially British. From the man reading Irvine Welsh on the beach to the family playing cricket together, Osborne’s quips are charming and evoke images we’re all familiar with, while his thoughtful hypothesising of the kind of lives these strangers live are equally reminiscent of the so-called good old days. This is a piece that glories in nostalgia. Whether you think that’s a good or bad thing is entirely subjective.

One person shows rise and fall on the basis of the performer, and here is where On the Beach sadly deflates. Osborne is often too hesitant, stumbling on his words and enunciating as if he’s only just learned how to read. A bout of jitters can be forgiven but when it continues for the entire hour, it’s just exhausting and ultimately becomes boring. On the Beach isn’t a piece that demands drama or bombastic delivery, but it still needs more than what Osborne gives. The occasional musical interludes with accompanying projections of random seaside moments feel tacked on and entirely unnecessary. Osborne’s words are evocative enough without bland visuals.

Perfectly pleasant and witty on the page but fumbled and dragged down by the performance, On the Beach falls short of lofty expectations. This is a show that could have seriously benefited from tighter direction and a more confident performer.