Review: BEFORE WE FORGET, Bush Theatre
This year's 18-25 Bush Young Company reflect on memory in the digital age
Created by the 18-25 Bush Young Company alongside theatre practitioner Amber Ruby, Before We Forget is a dystopian evaluation of what the act of remembering could look like in a not-too-distant future. At a time when we’re already all paying extortionate prices for memory storage in some way, it’s a relevant–if slightly unfocused–reflection. It’s not perfect, but it brings up a valid concern. A corporation named Recall is changing how people handle their memories. As profit is put before humanity, its employees start having concerns.
The production is snappy and dynamic, featuring quick scene changes that mostly involve dark netting splitting the space into sections. While the direction is flawless, the script bites off more than it can chew. It introduces too many storylines with too many unaddressed social issues. This results in arbitrary virtue signalling, as the topics don’t receive any thorough examination. Turning the one hour and 15 minutes into a two-act play could give it breadth to cover the systemic racism, malpractice, misogyny, et cetera that are only mentioned in passing.
The cast is supported by a handful of powerful performances, but it’s (understandably) a mixed bag. Josephine Surminski offers an eclectic character; going from delivering terms and conditions at machine gun-speed to presenting more nuanced relationships. Other standouts include Mannan Guled, Zarmeeneh Khan, Shekinah Singh, and Shermya, who all bring that extra spark to the stage.
All in all, it’s a solid showcase for the Bush’s community outreach. It spotlights an eye for young talent and re-establishes a sharp sensibility for the increasingly alarming sides of the digital era.
Before We Forget runs at the Bush Theatre until 22 August
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