Almost five years ago Steve Wilson walked the Camino del Norte, a breathtaking trail on the coast of Spain. This experience would have a profound and lasting impact on him. Now that he’s walked the walk he’s talking the talk in Camino Man.

Camino Man lies somewhere between a happy-snap holiday PowerPoint presentation and a captivating monologue. This one-man show is a story of adventure, camaraderie and resilience performed with gusto.

I appreciated how honest and human Steve’s story was. He didn’t shy away from the grittier parts of undertaking such an expedition, from the need to find meaning and purpose to the unbearable blisters (the mention of which garnered a knowing groan from the audience). He acknowledged his own pitfalls, taking us along his journey of redemption and self-discovery. It was impossible to not feel compassion for and a connection to Steve. I won’t spoil it for you, but I was deeply moved by some of the rhetoric, particularly the symbolism of carrying a pack as a metaphor for the emotional weight we all carry.

Personally, I felt that Steve was a little heavy-handed with his comments about attractive young women. It wasn’t so much what he was saying, but rather that these comments occasionally felt out of place and unnecessary. This was my only gripe with the performance and is of course based on a fine line that is difficult to traverse, perhaps even more so than the Camino itself.

I attended with a group made up of both people who had walked the Camino and others (like myself) who now want to. Everyone enjoyed the show. Camino Man works as an introduction to this ancient pilgrimage or a welcome trip down memory lane.

A grown-up and Fringey take on the ‘what did you do over the holidays’ assignment, this show made me laugh and cry in less than an hour.