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Remember That Time? A Musical

 
Lily Crooke Review by Lily Crooke 3 Published: 2 Aug 2025 theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-23 Aug 2025

Don’t be put off by the three-star rating – Annmarie Cullen’s vulnerable one-woman show may not be for everyone, but it soars when it hits the high notes. Remember That Time? A Musical begins with Annmarie standing in El Prat airport in Barcelona – a one-way ticket to Dublin in her hand. Having recently been broken up with by her wife, she is returning to her hometown after living abroad in LA and Spain for 25 years. This story about starting over doesn’t quite emerge unscathed in its attempt to blend humour and sincerity, but for Annmarie’s crystal-clear voice and songwriting ability alone, it is well worth a watch.

It does exactly what it says on the tin – a perfect pre-lunch show for any fans of Eat, Pray, Love

Remember That Time? premiered at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2024, where it won Best Performance – and it’s no wonder. Annmarie has written for iCarly, Drake and Josh and the Twilight film series, and her songwriting credentials shine through in this feelgood one-woman musical. Combining Patti Smith’s rawness with the vulnerable singer-songwriter style of Taylor Swift, you should prepare for goosebumps when she reaches the falsetto.

The script is delivered in a constant Disney Channel-style voiceover, complete with pauses and punchlines that feel oddly reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain. The narrative style is fun but doesn’t always match up with the show’s raw vulnerability, and you feel somewhat relieved when Annmarie steps away from the mic and speaks more frankly to the audience. The story also tries a little too hard to package itself into a tidy success-story arc, and its LA-tinged sincerity feels slightly out of place at the Edinburgh Fringe. Annmarie talks about hiring a mental fitness trainer and shows weight-loss pictures without the heavy dose of self-satire one might expect at the festival. But Remember That Time? isn’t trying to be a wry, self-deprecating comedy set – it is a retrospective and heartwarming story about one woman redefining success and finding herself. In this respect, it does exactly what it says on the tin – a perfect pre-lunch show for any fans of Eat, Pray, Love.

The minimal staging suits the frank intimacy of Remember That Time? and MTV-style projected footage of Saucy Monky playing live transports you straight to their early 2000s heyday. However, the show’s multimedia experimentation isn’t always so effective. Annmarie’s mocked-up Zoom duets, featuring cameos from Naimee Coleman and comedian Gearóid Farrelly, could be humorously gimmicky but leave the audience uncertain whether to laugh or try to keep a straight face. If feelgood musicals and multimedia experimentation turn you off, this might not be the show for you – but fans of high-quality confessional songwriting and early 00s indie rock, or simply anyone going through a crisis in life, are sure to enjoy this one-woman musical.

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The Blurb:

'Superb' (Hot Press, Ireland). Winner of Best Performance: International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. Embark on a retrospective journey with Annmarie, a seasoned musician who leaves her life in LA for love in Barcelona. Trading music for a corporate job, she loses herself, her connection to music, and ultimately, her wife. Reeling from the breakup, Annmarie returns to her native Dublin after 25 years away to start over. With on-screen cameos by Naimee Coleman and comedian Gearoid Farrelly, this inspiring, mixed-media, one-woman musical is a must-see for anyone at a crossroads in life.