‘Life’s not one of your paintings,” Ami rages at her artist boyfriend, Ben. “You can’t just rip it up and start again.” But what if Ben was in an accident, had amnesia and happened to meet Ami afresh, not remembering their faltering relationship at all? That might provide a new start for both – even if Ami is racked with guilt over not revealing their shared past.
Timothy Knapman and Stuart Matthew Price’s two-hander has a Hollywood-style high concept but their musical romcom is strangely reluctant to run with the premise and quickly becomes overly earnest. Knapman’s book has a good sense of the everyday ebb and flow of relationships yet could use sharper repartee. The occasional goofy humour is seldom matched by his and Price’s lyrics, which drift too often towards the commonplace. Price’s score – well played by musical director Ben McQuigg’s trio (guitar, keys, cello) – can be appealing and amusing but rarely swooning.
