Review: THE NATURE OF FORGETTING, Latitude Festival

Following a sold-out run at the London International Mime Festival earlier this year, Theatre Re played to yet another full crowd in the Theatre Tent at Latitude Festival. Telling a story of love and loss through memory and movement, The Nature of Forgetting is a visually stunning production you won't soon forget.

It's Tom's 55th birthday, and his family and friends are starting to arrive. As his daughter Sophie helps him get dressed, Tom finds himself reflecting on old memories of him and his wife Isabella. As he tries to remember the details, it becomes apparent that Tom suffers from early-onset dementia. Playing out one man's life in just over one hour, the show explores the power of memory as we relive these important moments with Tom.

As Sophie leaves him to dress himself, Tom explores the clothes on the rails. As he dusts off a jacket, he dusts off an old memory. Donning his school blazer, we journey back to the first day he met Isabella. Sweeping the clothes aside, the rails too are now swept to the side of the stage. We see a live band, not just accompanying proceedings but a part of them too. The actors acknowledge the band from time to time, becoming Tom and Isabella's wedding band in a later memory. They and the other actors take their costumes from the clothes rails throughout the show, each one denoting a specific place, person or feeling.

The remainder of the set is minimal, making it easy to tour as it goes from this Latitude Festival Edit and onto the Edinburgh Fringe. Four school desks are permanent fixtures throughout, from Tom's first day as a pupil to his first day as a teacher. These do move around and are integrated into the choreography. A particularly striking moment is Tom's last memory of Isabella. As his mind struggles to hold onto it, the desk and Isabella begin to literally fall away.

It is moments such as this which show the skill of Theatre Re. An experimental troupe, the devised physical pieces are breath-taking and bold. As Tom tries to remember his wedding speech, he literally re-members it before our eyes: positioning the wedding guests around him, he frantically tries to hold onto the memory as it slips away from him in slow motion. In a show made up of music, mime and physical theatre, it's moments of silence such as these which really stand out.

When tackling a big issue such as dementia, some approaches may seem too clinical, focusing on the condition itself rather than the person. Fortunately, it's the characters who are at the forefront of The Nature of Forgetting. The audience sees how dementia affects not only Tom, but his relationship with those around him including his mother and daughter. The depiction of this condition is sensitively portrayed, having been thoroughly researched. Developed with UCL neuroscientist Professor Kate Jeffrey, Theatre Re went into communities to talk to those affected by dementia. It's these little things and personal touches which make a big difference in this production.

Devised by the company, the show embodies ensemble in every sense. The four actors and two musicians are one unit: bouncing off each other's energy, you almost feel as if they breathe at the same time (if they get a second to breathe, so intense is the choreography).

Tom is played by Guillaume Pigé, who also conceived and directed the piece. His portrayal is so moving and absorbing, that you almost forget it's just one actor playing both 55 year old and 15 year old Tom. His chemistry with Louise Wilcox's Isabella in the bike scene is palpable, who is also entrancing and ethereal. Both Matthew Austin's Mike and Eygló Belafonte as Tom's mother get some comedic moments, and are a joy to watch.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming, The Nature of Forgetting is a refreshing piece of theatre. A must see for both established and new audiences of physical theatre.

The Nature of Forgetting plays the Edinburgh Fringe, 3 - 27 August 2017

Photo Credit: Theatre Re

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