Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. She reviews theatre and cultural events in and around the district in her spare time.

You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com.

A love letter to Britain told through the eyes of an American, Bill Bryson’s 1995 travelogue Notes from a Small Island catalogued his travels across the length and breadth of Britain, the country that would become his home.

His wry humour and acute observations of the peculiarities of this patch of land made it a beloved read, catapulting this Iowa native into the British consciousness. Later, in a national poll, it was voted the book that best represented Britain.

A move to the stage would prove no mean feat for a book covering myriad miles and countless characters, but in 2023, Tim Whitnall’s adaptation premiered in Newbury.

Now, Harrogate Dramatic Society take this production on, and they do so with gusto.

Matt Melenas as Bryson is stellar. Word perfect (and this is a wordy play by its very nature), he captures the backpack-wielding, cap-wearing modern pilgrim beautifully: charming, often ranting, and with a childlike awe for his adopted home.

A cast of just six plays the dozens of eccentric locals Bryson encounters on his journeying: London cabbies, Glaswegian publicans, trainspotters, vicars and more. One even plays God. What ensues is a rollercoaster of costume changes, assorted wigs and regional accents, and HDS pulls off the complex ensemble piece without a hitch.

In the intimate space of Harrogate Studio Theatre, the production chooses a sparse but functional set that prompts its audience to imagine Bryson in all manner of settings.

From Dover to the Dales and Stonehenge to Scotland, we travel mile upon mile with Bryson, up to the point of him settling in the Yorkshire Dales, where, as Bryson admires the majestic rolling hills outside his front door, our Harrogate audience probably felt most at home.

One man’s record of Britain, showing the often-ridiculous nature of this here island – the best and the worst of it – and all the many things to love, Notes is, in many ways, a lesson in joie de vivre.

As Melenas’ Bryson tenderly observes: “Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realised what it was that I loved about Britain – which is to say, all of it. Every last bit of it, good and bad – Marmite, village fêtes, country lanes, people saying 'mustn't grumble' [. . .], stinging nettles [. . .], drizzly Sundays – every bit of it.”

Today, Bryson’s reflections are important, encouraging us to remember, in a time and in a world in which it is far too easy to grumble, just how lucky we are.

Notes from a Small Island is on at Harrogate Theatre until Saturday 28 June.