Jim’s wife Elsie has died on the Alzheimer’s ward, but the former police detective – who has recently been diagnosed himself – is suspicious of her death.
And he has a reason to be nervous as another two deaths follow.
There are many of us who will know of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, taking away a beloved figure and replacing them with someone unknowing, of radically different behaviours and ways of coping in a world that all at once seems completely alien to them, with only small glimpses of the person that they used to be.
Rob Gee – the writer, creator and one man performer of Forget Me Not – has put together a play that moves between 15 different characters, who range from the carers to a policeman and some of the patients. He draws a world, rich in humanity, and activity.
Like any good murder mystery, the deaths appear natural. There are red herrings, clues, and character traits that lead to a sensitive denouement.
When the nurse in charge is found dead, another patient is discovered confused and covered in blood, but when he too dies it is up to Jim and the detective to solve the case themselves. What they find changes the care home forever.
The play is well thought out and though the narrative is sometimes fractured and some of narrative characters are unreliable – due to what they have to hide and their own mental states – this is necessary, visceral theatre that packs more than enough pathos, death and earthy humour into its short running time.
It is not a surprise that Forget Me Not has been used by the NHS to teach ethics.
