Words: Kiera Harper
4 Stars
Amnesia, written and performed by Kimberly Hart-Simpson, follows Kelly, a carer from Rhyl, coming home from her holiday in Ibiza to find that everything is different. First of all, a River Island is being built in her seaside town, and second, her best friend is leaving to live in a city…with a Pret. This sets off a snowball of change, causing Kelly to spiral.
Hart-Simpson’s writing explores the challenges of staying in your hometown, even when you love it. Change in your hometown is unfortunately inevitable, especially when it feels like home to you but not to your best friend. For Kelly, Rhyl is so intertwined with her identity that Amrit’s leaving feels like a personal attack. This fear of change is handled well in the writing, with the over the top moments balanced with warmth and hilarity.
Music plays a large role in Amnesia. It tethers the characters to their home and identities. For the dementia patients Kelly cares for, it’s Elvis and opera, and for Kelly herself, it’s Clubland. The play is so grounded in the reality of the working class that it began to hit close to home, as if I was watching a play put on by someone I grew up with. This is something many audience members will relate to, and it’s down to Hart-Simpson writing this show as a thank you to the place she grew up, which then acts as a thank you to all of the ridiculed small towns that raised many of the audience members. This sense of being unapologetically from your hometown is the beating heart of the show.
Amnesia, while chaotic and fun, is filled with heart and a deep appreciation of Clubland, waltzers and seaside towns. This show is a heartfelt party you won’t want to miss.
Amnesia
Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard
16:25
5th – 31st August (no performances on the 17th)