Coast to Coast

Published Thursday 9 August 2007 at 12:50 by Jeremy Austin

Falling between two stools is never good idea, but sadly Mark Whiteley and Daniel Hoffmann-Gill’s travelogue does just that.

The pair walked 216 miles from Bangor in Wales to Boston in Lincolnshire with no money or accommodation, trading on the good will of others and earning food and shelter by performing their show - this show, which tells their story.

It’s a great premise and the sort of production upon which performers such as Dave Gorman and Tim Fitzhigham have made their name. But while it promises much, if fails to deliver - lacking storytelling meat and replacing it with a surreal comedy.

This is a bad idea. This sort of show relies on the truth of the story being told. If an element is brought in that undermines that truth, the power of the story is diminished. The quality of the telling - and certainly both are engaging performers - cannot make up for it.

There should have been more on the characters they meet - the chapter dealing with Shropshire folk is a deserved highlight. More on the obvious emotional stress that Whiteley suffered. Less on rabbits.