Meet Kelly, the daughter of two Tom Jones tribute acts, a proud resident of Rhyl, and a dementia carer at a local care home. When personally devastating news shakes Kelly’s world, how is she able to paper over the cracks? That’s exactly what Kimberly Hart-Simpson’s play explores, often successfully. Yet cliché creeps into the piece, leading to a sickly sweet ending that is as predictable as it is cringeworthy.
Hart-Simpson’s writing deftly creates Kelly’s world, her best friend Amrit from high school and the elderly serial biter Edna, in vivid detail. Likewise, playing all these characters herself, Hart-Simpson holds a magnetic stage presence. She brings such an intense energy to the stage that you cannot help but be swept up in it, especially when Hart-Simpson makes continuous eye contact with her spectators. There’s reaction to audience comments and laughter too. We are given the distinct impression that Hart-Simpson is not playing a character as such, but rather a heightened version of herself. A smart way to get the audience on side.
Of course, much credit for this must be paid to Kate Wasserberg’s direction. Though we cannot see the residents, some intelligent lighting by Cara Hood on a central armchair brings them thrillingly to life. This is the production’s strongest asset, shining a light on vulnerable people rarely depicted on stage. Likewise, the recurring metaphor of dancing, accompanied by an absolutely banging soundtrack, brings to life Kelly’s struggle to keep moving forward despite her difficulties. Although, admittedly, at some points the use of mime seems a little elementary.
Indeed, in all areas the play suffers from a dollop too much cliché. Though energetic, Hart-Simpson’s characters often lack subtlety, verging on caricatures, especially those surrounding Kelly. Likewise, the writing is so obsessed with wrapping the play up with a nice bow that we reach a happy conclusion in a bizarre fashion. We are, at moments, given the impression that Kelly’s psyche is complex and that she has deep-rooted trauma stemming from the male figures in her life, yet Hart-Simpson’s continuous shouting frustratingly simplifies the character.
Praise must be given to Hart-Simpson for diverting attention away from the usual communities presented on stage; yet generic moments prevent total immersion in this world.
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