Seventeen-year-old Jake (Tom Claxton) through circumstances beyond his control has made his home in the wild terrain of the Cumbrian Fells in Fell by Chris Salt. He lives off the land, using the stream to clean his laundry and stay hydrated. Catching and foraging what he can to eat and survive.

Lyle (Ned Cooper) wanders into the domain of Jake who we discover he has been following for a while. Lyle left without much thought this morning and walked into the unknown. What happens to someone for them to leave it all behind, especially at almost fifteen?

The pair strike up an unconventional friendship. Becoming dependent on one another for company and conversation in the twenty-four hours. Lyle’s constant “silence-filling conversations” will resonate with many parents of teenagers. Feeling that quiet moments should be utilised at all times, silence is something to be feared. On many occasions, I have said to two of my four children as teenagers that “nothing bad will happen if you are quiet” not that they listened!

Battling the elements on a rainy day isn’t a walk in the park let alone the rough terrain of the fells. Lyle and Jake both enter the stage wet and the audience is not left suspending their belief that the pair have endured quite a walk to this particular destination.

Barons Court Theatre offers quite a small stage area. The fell backdrop offers a picturesque country scene, along with camouflage netting and moving crates to depict different scenes that open up every available spot and give the allusion to being a bigger space. Director Janys Chambers has shown that he has an eye for detail and creating a powerful play.

For more information on this play and future productions at Barons Court Theatre please use the links below.

Five Stars.

https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/fell-by-chris-salt

https://www.edgewaysproductions.co.uk/about

https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/fell

https://www.edgewaysproductions.co.uk/my-post