EDINBURGH 2019: Review: FOR ALL I CARE, Summerhall

Written by Alan Harris and in association with National Theatre Wales, For All I Care is a powerful one-woman performance. Clara is a vulnerable young woman with no family and a history of psychiatric problems. She is admitted to an inpatient facility when she sets herself on fire in a shop dressing room.

Nyri works as a nurse at the hospital and this is how the two meet. Nyri has some guilt that her own mother died in a nursing facility rather than at home as she wished and seems to view Clara as an opportunity to ensure someone gets the correct care.

For All I Care is expertly handled by Hannah Daniel as she switches between both characters. There are microphones suspended from the ceiling and x speaks into them to signify somebody outside of the central characters is talking.

When fighting for better treatment for Clara, Nyri quotes the original NHS information leaflet that states that everybody will receive care regardless of status. NHS cuts are referenced throughout as the hospital heads try and justify discharging Clara as she is "only" a risk to herself and not the general public- and they need the bed.

For All I Care is a fast paced and thought-provoking piece. It both celebrates the NHS and criticises what it has become. Hannah Daniel is a captivating performer and delivers an important political message in a subtle manner.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/for-all-i-care

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