Theatre Re, one of the UK’s leading physical theatre companies, returns to the Fringe with The Nature of Forgetting, a moving and ambitious exploration of memory, identity, and family. At its heart lies a devastatingly simple question: what is left when memory is gone?
The production opens in quiet intimacy. Tom, 55 and living with early-onset dementia, sits beside a clothes rail as his daughter prepares him for his birthday. A jacket and tie are nudged into view, but Tom hesitates, distracted. From this tender, faltering moment, the audience is drawn into his fractured perception of the present, foreshadowing the kaleidoscopic journey through his past that follows.
What unfolds is a vivid tapestry of recollection sweeping us through his life: childhood mischief, schoolyard scrapes, bicycle rides, first love, a wedding, and fatherhood. The cast slip fluidly and with remarkable precision between roles and eras, delivering physical storytelling that conveys emotion more powerfully than words.
The props and set are central to the narrative. Desks become classrooms, bicycles summon freedom, and clothes rails carry redolent scents and echoes of identity which trigger his memories. Everyday objects tumble and transform, mirroring memory’s instability. A raised dais acts as Tom’s mind itself: a stage within the stage where recollections gain shape before dissolving again. At times the memories seem to wilfully resist his gaze: a desk tilts away, a head turns sharply, as if the past itself refuses to be examined or reordered. The production frequently builds moments where striking still or slow-moving tableaux provide fleeting snapshots of memory.
Alex Judd’s live score provides an emotional pulse—by turns urgent, discordant, lyrical, and tender while Katherine Graham’s lighting design adds depth and emotional texture. The near absence of dialogue allows movement, imagery, and music to speak directly to the heart.
Some sequences of memory linger longer than necessary or feel repetitious, but every moment is visually compelling. The interplay of choreography, music, and inventive prop work keeps audiences fully immersed in Tom’s inner world. Collaboration with experts in the field of Alzheimer’s research and neuroscience ensures authenticity in the frustration of living with dementia.
Meticulously choreographed, visually stunning, and profoundly affecting, The Nature of Forgetting is not only a portrait of loss but a celebration of fleeting presence—a reminder of what remains even as memory fades.
Show Times: 9 – 23 (not 13, 20) August 2025 at 1.15pm. (BSL interpretation 16, 21, 23).
Tickets: £19 (£18) to £21 (£20).
Suitability: 8+.