Bobby and Amy boasts both beautiful writing and extraordinary characterisation in this two-hander play about community and friendship.
Set during the 90s, when Take That and Tamagotchis consume people’s lives, we are introduced to young Bobby and Amy in the Cotsworlds. Living in an isolated, classic countryside town, it’s a sleepy town with not a lot going on. Surrounded by cows, everyone knows everyone in this tiny little town and there is a real sense of community. When the community faces a catastrophe, there is a fear that their home will change forever.
Bobby is awkward, he struggles socially and likes to count everything. Amy is confident but a loner as she is picked on by the girls at school. Despite their differences, they strike an unbreakable friendship that we watch grow over the hour long show. It’s beautiful and captures the intricacies of friendships at a young age. Emily Jenkins creates nuanced characters and brings that to life through gorgeous dialogue.
Bobby and Amy both have flawed parents, a lack of friends and a confusing perspective on the world. Will Howard and Kimberley Jarvis are exceptional as they show the progression of Bobby and Amy whilst taking on a range of other characters that they transition in-between seamlessly. It’s black box theatre but we are transported into this town as we meet the people who make it. Howard and Jarvis’ physicality and characterisation is exquisite and they tell the story in the most captivating way.
It’s a play bursting with heart as it sparks the imagination. It’s utterly nostalgic and entirely charming as we are whisked into Bobby and Amy’s world. We meet an array of character and travel through a whirlwind of time, but it couldn’t be more crystal clear. Bobby and Amy is a delightful show with mesmerising performances – it’s simply beautiful.
★★★★
Bobby and Amy is on at Edinburgh Fringe at Pleasance Courtyard at 17:10.
