In Wishing on a Stopgap, a retired teacher, spending his days giving away his paperback collection to ‘anyone without a kindle’, begins to examine his many past relationships and wonder why he never found love. A sensitive, charming and amusing story, this production is put on by six students from Newcastle University. The play is a brief slice of life, a peek into the story of an unusual character who, at the end of his working life, is asking himself all-too-relatable questions.

With a simple, compact but functional set, multiple quick changes and committed performances, Newcastle University Theatre Society pulls this show off well. Entrances, exits and scene changes are well-choreographed and the ensemble works around the protagonist with ease, playing lovers, students, strangers and more. The acting, if not amazing, is sufficiently believable to get the audience to believe the story.

The play’s non-chronological format serves the story well – the teacher’s life is flashing before his eyes, he re-examines past relationships and remembers pivotal moments. In a particularly well-executed scene, he recalls students asking him for advice about everything from being afraid to come out to what to do about an unwanted pregnancy. These conversations increasingly overlap, the students’ frustrations palpably building around him.

It is hard to single out performances in this ensemble as they work so well together and each scene is so brief. When playing the teacher’s former pupils, they cohere into one annoying bunch; when playing different visitors to the bookshop, they individually shine. An effort to differentiate the many roles each actor plays has obviously been made and there is never any confusion as to who is who at any given time.

Unfortunately, this play carries little weight beyond the performances. Perhaps due to the main character’s inherently passive nature, the exploration of big themes such as the essence of love and dealing with cancer does not have the impact one would expect. Though relatively engaging while one is in the room, Wishing on a Stopgap does not have a lot of bite. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable show with an interesting and touching heart – a well-contained, successful piece of student theatre.

Wishing on a Stopgap is playing theSpace on the Mile until August 19.