What is it about the seaside that draws us back time and again? It's not a new thing. The Romans had the concept of otium, a time where one could rest, play, eat and contemplate, which was often associated with seaside villas. Here John Osborne takes a decidedly nostalgic stroll along a beach of a more recent past to see these elements alive and well - if a little faded.
A projected backdrop of monochrome beaches, pleasure gardens, pavilions and tea dances sets the mood for his tale of arriving back in Weymouth, the place of childhood holiday, on a temporary teaching assignment. An inauspicious start propels him to the water's edge - "sometime in you like you just need to be on a beach".
His peregrination takes in those escaping work, "expert" older couples who would remember Winter Garden dances, the days prior to stag and hen parties and before landmarks were replaced by carparks. The beach is a place where it is impossible not to reminisce and he mixes reflections of rock-pools and visions of kite flying with observations of family life.
It's largely the warm and familiar stuff of truisms and only hints at the fleeting nature of our excursion; that we don't have the infinite lives afforded by the amusement arcade games when sitting on the seafront benches dedicated to the memory of those who also loved this place.
The form is less of a narrative arc than a series of vignettes punctuated with humorous observations, told in a language that is conversational. Fans of the "heavy entertainment" provided by Jonathan Meades in examining places may find it too light an approach. His presentation is likable, akin to an eager puppy wanting to show us what he has found but he doesn't quite convince that he isn't working hard to remember the script. That script (presuming it exists) could be edited to make it a bit more elegant. Too many of the sentences begin with "And...".
The projections throughout provide a sparse, stylish and evocative backdrop.
It's a gentle and enjoyable stroll and if you can't make it to the beach it's worth dipping your toe into for a your own otium, a restorative fifty minutes away from the madness of the Fringe.
Show times: 31 July - 26 August (not 12) 2013, 3.00pm.
Ticket prices: £7.50 (£6.50) to £11 (£10).