| "A Lovely Little Nugget of a Play" |
Amnesia |
| Kimberly Hart-Simpson, UA, Sherman , Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh , September 4, 2026 |
The description read:“Kelly, a dementia carer in Rhyl (and daughter of two Tom Jones tribute acts), is brilliant at her job. Whether it’s Edna, the serial biter, or Astrid who thinks her Nana is a bin, Kelly knows exactly what she’s doing. “Proudly raised on ClubLand, waltzers, and summer’s snogging scousers, she’s furious upon discovering her best friend is leaving for a city with a Pret. Concealing her own life-altering news, she spirals out of control and risks losing everything. Written and performed by Kimberly Hart-Simpson (Coronation Street, Brassic), directed by Kate Wasserberg in association with Theatr Clwyd.” * * * * The Fringe Review was there: “Amnesia introduces us to Kelly, a dementia carer in an old people’s home in Rhyl, who interacts with her charges, Edna, Astrid and Len, with more patience and warmth than the job has any right to expect. Kelly’s world beyond work is just as vividly drawn: a boss with a taste for novelty ties who fancies her mum, (a Tom Jones tribute act), and an ex-school friend and wheeler dealer forever trying to flog her the latest knock-off gear. Written and performed solo by Kimberly Hart-Simpson, this is a Rhyl brought fully and affectionately to life. “At the centre of Kelly’s life is Amit, her best friend since primary school, the boy she has been a protective rottweiler for ever since. Twenty years on, the two of them are stuck in a groove, currently rehearsing a dance routine for Edna’s big birthday party to a soundtrack of club anthems. “It is a lovely, low-stakes picture of a friendship that has outlasted all Kelly’s other relationships, which makes it land all the harder when Amit’s plans turn out to be very different from hers. “Hart-Simpson is a terrific performer, sketching Rhyl’s cast of eccentrics and loved ones so that each one is instantly recognisable, and clever staging by Director Kate Wasserberg does much of the heavy lifting alongside her. A simple lighting trick evokes each resident of the old people’s home, while the upbeat dance soundtrack and Kelly’s restless movement make the most of the small thrust stage. “...Amnesia follows a familiar solo-show format, a compelling protagonist and a supporting cast who help or hinder her along the way, but it is a great example of the genre. Underneath the laughs sits something sadder, about how the loss of a parent can freeze us at the age it happened, and how the safety of a settled life can just as easily become a trap. “A co-production between Sherman Theatre and Theatre Clwyd, staged as part of the Pleasance’s National Partnership programme, this pedigree show is well worth seeking out at the Fringe. Kelly is brilliant company, funny, full of beans and impossible not to root for.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2026/amnesia/ * * * * The Edinburgh Guide was there: “She is freezing – well, it’s like that when you return from a tropical island. Five days in Ibiza; twelve hours ago, she was dancing to Cascada, off her chops in Amnesia nightclub. She has been with Amrit, her best friend since primary school. They are dance divas, record holders on the arcade dance machine. It’s a nightmare in Morrisons. Rhyl is their universe which smells of fried onions, and fills with sexy summer holidaymakers, preferably Scousers. Perhaps Rhyl is on the up, shrugging off its Costa del Dole reputation with a rumoured River Island. Kelly and Amrit work at a dementia care home, sixteen residents in a former B&B somewhere between Fawlty Towers and The Shining. “Few visitors come, so staff become family. There is Lenny, former roofer and local legend; Astrid, an ex-copper whose words are escaping her; and Edna, celebrating her 85th birthday by biting people. Each has a playlist; music becomes a route back to connection. “Kelly is capable and caring, but when Amrit considers leaving for somewhere more gentrified, it feels less like career progression than betrayal. As Kris Jenner said "Well-behaved women seldom make history", so she answers with drink, dance, work and throwing up. His leaving stirs memories of her father’s abandonment – a Tom Jones tribute act, as, strangely enough, is her mother. Amrit is not the only one running away. “Things barely remembered from Amnesia are about to come into focus. So is Kelly’s fierce loyalty when Lenny’s son, with whom she has, shall we say, history, fails to call. She may have to decide whether the Green, Green Grass of Home is enough. “Kate Wasserberg keeps the hour moving at Kelly’s speed, with well-timed drops into personal insight and genuine care. Hart-Simpson is slick, funny and generous with her gallery of oddballs, while a single armchair becomes a succession of residents. Dyfan Jones’ sound carries the rhythm and Cara Hood’s lighting flips the room from care-home plainness to Clubland energy.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://edinburghguide.com/festival/2026/amnesia-pleasance-courtyard-bunker-two-review-22011 * * * * UK Theatre Web was there: “Kimberley Hart-Simpson has written, and performs, a lovely little nugget of a play. Superficially a simple story about a flippant young woman from Rhyl struggling against life's ups and downs it actually dives deep into topics of the care of the elderly, deep friendships and the poverty of UK seaside resorts where opportunities are limited for those growing up there. “The initially loud, brash, self-obsessed character she portrays turns out to be so much more and the play, in the end, was really rather moving. Energetically delivered this is well worth your time to share.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://uktw.co.uk/news/Amnesia/7534.html |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
This review has been read 23 times |
