Don’t You Forget About Me at Assembly Roxy Downstairs Review
Bubbly. Reminiscent. Packed with nostalgia. Don’t You Forget About Me written and performed by David Shopland is described as a love letter to John Hughes’ iconic 1980s film, The Breakfast Club, by having the forgotten sixth member host a reunion to a detention he was never actually part of, even though we might have all felt like we were. This play is a ‘welcome home’ to all the films, TV shows and media that contributed to who we are and how they felt like part of our lives growing up. Don’t You Forget About Me is presented by Fake Escape as part of their Decade of Fringe season this year, performing at the Assembly Roxy Downstairs.
Immediately, Shopland creates a warm presence in the room and a likeable character that we can all see ourselves in. He is holding his arm in the classic Breakfast Club fist in the air as the audience enters, growing tired and swapping hands (not so sneakily) every now and again, with the stage set with a table and colourful stalls ready for a 1980s themed party. Shopland brings the audience into the story, he speaks directly to us and maintains eye contact as if we are all invited to the celebration. The house lights also remained at a low level throughout the show, a clever choice to keep the audience feeling seen and involved in the action. Shopland maintains a sense of positivity and hope during the performance paired with high energy physicality and jovial voice that keeps you rooting for his character, even when he realises his fictional friends may never arrive.
The simple but unique staging of this play by Director Roann Hassani McCloskey, really aids the storytelling in this one man show. In the beginning, Shopland recounts elements of the plot of the Breakfast Club with each of the coloured stalls representing one of the famous 5 characters. The stalls were moved and puppeteered to become each person so we could clearly see the whole detection from his perspective, as the sixth forgotten exchange student. As the play develops and Shopland realises that he may have misremembered his involvement in the story he rips the decorations off and packs away the stalls, detaching himself from that part of the story. In such a fast paced and unfolding piece of theatre, clear staging allowed the audience to be completely wrapped in the story and kept Shopland’s character at the heart.
Nostalgia was the fuel for this piece and despite being born in 2003 it made me miss the 1980s! Your favourite television shows and films growing up always had the power to make you feel like you were part of the gang, an energy that was successfully mirrored in this show. Don’t You Forget About Me highlights the relationship between nostalgia and identity to build who we are and leaves you with a long, chaotic, cathartic list of all the characters we have loved over the years like friends. This was the epitome of a feel-good show and left the audience chatting about their own childhood influences long after they left the theatre.
Don’t You Forget About Me is running at Edinburgh Fringe at 14:20pm in Assembly Roxy Downstairs from the 5th – 31st August as part of Fake Escape Theatre Company’s 10th Anniversary Season.
★★★★
Written by George for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
