Durham Fringe Festival 2026
The Last Catch
NTC Touring Theatre Company
Genre: Drama
Venue: The Academy
Festival: Durham Fringe Festival
Low Down
“An old man in Redcar, on the northeast coast, clings to the glory days of film stars and giant fish, even as age strips him of worth and dignity with every humiliation. He is certain the monsters have returned, and makes one last voyage to restore his name. A young protege joins the hunt. Together they chase more than a creature: they seek proof for themselves, and for a resentful world. Darkly comic and moving, this play finds strange grace when two souls venture into the deep together.”
This is an original play by Philip Harrison.
Directed by Louis Roberts
Performed by Philip Harrison & Louis Roberts
Music written and performed by Ilk Folk Du
Review
Set in Redcar in 2012, where “it is permanently 1980”, this very well crafted one act play draws its inspiration from Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. It is an original story in its own right, but themes and the core story from that classic novel play a big part in this version.
The acting is fluent and assured, with both performers on top of the script and their characters. Human beings who are rough around the edges because life in their milieu is rough; their relationship unfolds and is revealed as the backstory plays into the present. Pain and regret haunt the father figure. Angst and resentment trouble the younger man. The nature of their relationship is explored, and the sea becomes a symbol of journey, danger, possibility and disappointment.
It is hard to say more without bringing spoilers into this review, and I certainly won’t do that. Yet it can be hard, and even unbearable, to be haunted by the past, especially by the things we cannot change. Yet perhaps there is one more hand of cards that we can play and get it right this time?
The set is simple and effective, and rather ingenious, having created both an old fisherman’s living space with a bed that transforms into a boat on a rough sea in less than a minute. Simple props create fishing rods, and bed sheets become sails. It’s a sign of excellent stagecraft and clever design to make us feel so immersed in this world with such simplicity and economy of set.
There is plenty of verbal knockabout as the story of the two main characters unfolds and the relationship between them both is revealed further.
And the real jewel in the crown, which enhances and captures the mood and context of this story, is provided by original music, composed and performed by Ilk Folk Duo. For me, it brought a bittersweet combination of both irony and reverence for these characters, their story, and the sadness that comes from the poor navigational choices we made in our lives.
We are drawn in, and the characters are established through some very direct and eloquent writing. The humour is dark, sharp, and always at the service of moving the narrative along.
The play covers the interplay and divergence of two different generations, connected by family choices, tragic happenings, regretted actions, and consequences being experienced in the now.
Is life about what we managed to catch? Is the thrill truly in the chase? Is it really about succeeding, or never giving up? In the midst of dialogue on the fishing boat, there was a comedy that reminded me of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, where what we are waiting for becomes an almost wistful sideshow to the waiting itself.
This is an excellently written and acted, engaging, witty and wise exploration of agency, catching the big one, or simply keeping going.
When the ending comes, it is not unpredictable, but it is no less powerful for that.
It is short play writing at its best, right at the beginning of its journey. It will no doubt tour successfully, although certain things will be finessed around more precise lighting and pacing. In one short episode, a yacht is spotted, and this takes place too quickly to believe that the yacht has already turned and left. I’m sure that consistency will come as the show further develops. More precise lighting and physical theatre around being on a rocking boat also need a little more attention.
The Last Catch is highly recommended because it is a quintessentially fringe show, delivering depth, addressing important questions, telling a poerful story, and achieving all of this in under an hour.
