Travelling Light is an enchanting tale of family, community, tradition and photography. Though it is a new play by Nicholas Wright the script has a vintage feel, and I was surprised to discover how recently it was written. Interestingly the play is not as groundbreaking or shocking as most of the National’s productions… Instead it is just a touching narrative about the birth of motion pictures and the beauty of the cinematic medium.

The weekday matinee performances are almost entirely full of students and OAPs and this Tuesday afternoon was no different. We were lucky to be sitting so close to the stage that my new Tom Ford glasses weren’t even needed. Although the idea of Travelling Light is simple, I found the production quite confusing. It is centred around a young man obsessed with moving pictures; we watch him as a young man and as a reflective old man almost simultaneously, I felt that reality is somewhat lost as the different generations are entwined.

It is set around 1900 in a remote village in Eastern Europe, we watch as the young Motl Mendl discovers cinema. He is transfixed with his father’s cinematograph and quickly learns how to portray emotion through these flickering silent images. The whole community is brought together for the filming, financed by blunt but enthusiast timber merchant, Jacob and inspired by a young doe eyed orphan girl, Anna. At the end we fast forward to Motl’s later years in America, where he is now a famed American film director. He reminisces about the beginning of his love affair with cinema, remembering how his original passion was sparked and debating about the sacrifices he consequently made.

Nicholas Wright’s script is sensitive and natural, he cleverly captures the different dialects and accents used, and presents us with an endearing heartfelt story. The most impressive acting comes from Antony Sher as Jacob Bindel who gives an energetic and passionate performance and is a pleasure to watch on stage. Unfortunately I found leading character Damien Molony as Motl thoroughly irritating… he overacts and at times jeopardises the subtle atmosphere carefully created onstage by the rest of the cast.

There are lovely visuals in this production and historically it is very intriguing to learn about the history of cinema, but I must admit there were moments that I found dull and boring where my concentration drifted. This is a heartfelt tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who played a major part in Hollywood’s golden age but though I loved the story, I don’t think it translated to the stage very effectively.

Travelling Light continues until 2 June, book here.