We were fortunate enough to get matinee tickets to this sold-out show at the Burton Taylor Studio, behind the Oxford Playhouse, on a rather warm Saturday afternoon. Remember Me is a three-hand play written by Lekha Desai Morrison, and directed by the writer, with support from director and photographic artist David Moore, and presented by Fir Tree Theatre in collaboration with Landmark Theatres UK.
The play focuses on Sally (Karen Ford) and Jack (Benji Ming) who, with support from daughter Keira (Hetty Bentley) are faced with Jack’s heartbreaking decline into dementia.
It is clear that Morrison has written from experience, and is very knowledgeable about the subject matter, as we follow the couple’s journey together from Jack forgetting to leave a light of for Sally after her shift at a soup kitchen, to the devastating decision that Sally must make when she can no longer look after him on her own.
At just under an hour long, the play runs the full gamut of emotions. Acted brilliantly, honestly and with huge emotional impact by all three actors, it was easy to become a part of their relationships and world, and eventually be affected by the impact the disease has on those relationships, along with the huge changes it forces upon their world.
In such a small (yet versatile) space as the BT Studio, it is not only the talent of the actors that is important, but the forethought of the whole production in general. Despite the minimal staging, with help from clever lighting and subtle sound changes, and music, it was simple to imagine the comforts of Sally and Jack’s home, before the illness takes a hold, but also just as effortless envisaging Jack’s new home, where he finds solace in a game of Rummy with his fellow residents, while the audience witness his wife and daughter’s hearts breaking at the loss of the man they love.
Ultimately, Morrison has written a beautiful play which celebrates love while bringing a spotlight to how dementia not only affects the person suffering with it, but also their closest friends and family, and this production brings that text to life with a poignant clarity.