Presented by Despite the Monkey and Worklight Theatre
Review by Hunter King
There is something to be said about performers who put on a massive act, speak loudly and with bravado, like carnival barkers ready to draw in their next audience; however, there might be even more to having a nonchalant and seemingly unworried performer. Dylan Howells is one of the latter.
In his new play Forget About Me, Howells recounts a story of growing up with a father who was a handyman and spent the better part of Howells’ childhood fixing up a house that he was moving into. While there, Howells tries to remember how he had a few ghostly encounters in the bathroom, but admits that his memory is quite hazy. He recounts stories of spending time with his dad and the moment of understanding when he realized his new house was haunted.
Howells is a very natural speaker with a knack for storytelling in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Immediately as he explains some housekeeping logistics he built a relationship with his audience that made them feel closer than the disconnected feeling of strangers in a room; his natural cadence and friendly demeanor made the audience feel like a big group of friends, preparing for a good story and perhaps a trauma dump.
The show not only captured the audience with storytelling, but featured moments of genuine fear that were largely thanks to impressive technical elements and a few illusions that, when done right, were exceptionally effective. Unfortunately, Howells admitted to forgetting a few of the illusions, which while fitting for the show title, would have been less noticeable if he hadn’t pointed it out. That said, even with them pointed out the show was still very impressive, as it largely relied on the story itself.
Howells joked that the performance felt like an additional preview, and I wouldn’t disagree with him, but it is clear that with a bit of cleaning up his show has a lot of potential, and that Howells himself is a master storyteller.
A Master in Storytelling
Forget About Me runs Venue 33, Below at Pleasance Courtyard at
13:40
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Hunter King (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Hunter is a 2024 Master’s graduate of the University of Edinburgh and current doctoral candidate with a thesis focused on experimental theatre in Edinburgh. He has been a theatre practitioner for over a decade having worked in many capacities including as a director, actor, stage manager, front of house manager, and technician as well as others. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Hunter was a high school English teacher in the United States. His passion for the written word as well as his passion for live performance are what motivated him to become a writer for this publication.
