EdFringe Review: Amnesia

The juxtaposition of pounding noughties Clubland anthems against the grim realities of the UK social care system may not be an obvious theatrical pairing, yet writer and performer Kimberly Hart-Simpson (Coronation Street, Brassic) forces them into a compelling collision in Amnesia.

Set in the fading, neon-lit seaside town of Rhyl, North Wales, the hour centres on Kelly—a dedicated dementia nurse whose chaotic, self-destructive personal life is barely held together by sheer stubbornness. The proud daughter of two Tom Jones tribute acts, Kelly is nonetheless brilliantly capable at her job; whether she is managing Edna, the infamous serial biter, or comforting Astrid, who heartbreakingly believes her Nana is a bin, Kelly knows exactly what she is doing.

Proudly raised on waltzers, bargain cocktails, and summers spent snogging scousers, she treats her decaying hometown as a personal playground. However, when her gay best friend and Ibiza disco-partner Amrit abruptly announces he is leaving for the sanitised comforts of a “city with a Pret,” Kelly is left furious. Desperately concealing her own life-altering news, she begins to spiral out of control, risking the very life she has cobbled together.

The Weight of Ambition

Developed in association with Theatr Clwyd and under Kate Wasserberg’s astute direction, Hart-Simpson avoids reducing Kelly to a mere victim of circumstance. Instead, she imbues the character with a buoyant, intensely magnetic energy, bounding around the claustrophobic confines of Bunker Two. The production externalises Kelly’s internal turmoil with striking physicality, frequently utilising a dance-mat and trance tracks to underscore her frantic pacing as her carefully guarded secrets threaten to spill over. Alongside the bombast, the quieter technical elements are implemented with remarkable economy.

“Developed in association with Theatr Clwyd and under Kate Wasserberg’s astute direction, Hart-Simpson avoids reducing Kelly to a mere victim of circumstance.“

Cara Hood’s intelligent lighting design conjures the presence of those vulnerable, unseen care-home residents just by illuminating an empty central armchair, anchoring the show’s sometimes frantic energy in deeply human stakes.

While the production succeeds brilliantly as a vital, joyful representation of working-class Welsh culture, the script occasionally buckles under the sheer volume of its thematic weight. Hart-Simpson attempts to navigate a staggering array of heavy topics within a tight sixty-minute runtime, pivoting rapidly from the systemic failures of social care and the trauma of parental abandonment to the broader economic decay of coastal towns. Such dense crowding leaves little room for the narrative’s quieter, more devastating moments.

Further, with the show juggling so many spinning plates, the climax opts for a surprisingly tidy resolution—complete with incoming responsibilities and a triumphant return to the dancefloor—that slightly undermines the complex trauma established in the opening half. Nevertheless, Hart-Simpson’s absolute commitment and deep compassion for her subject matter never waver. Amnesia remains a highly entertaining, deeply felt tribute to the unsung carers keeping fractured communities afloat.