Remember That Time? A Musical was reviewed at The Queer Comedy Club, London.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
One woman. One stage. One guitar. One hour. One costume change. Countless emotions. In this raw autobiographical production Annmarie Cullen is navigating a new beginning in her life, focusing on the most difficult journey of all, the one within your own heart.
As part of London’s Queer Fringe Festival, this is the London premiere of Remember That Time? A Musical. The show, which debuted in Cullen’s native Dublin two years ago, explores a real, lived, queer love experience.
Cullen’s authentic narration accompanied by the compelling nine-song score makes audience members feel as if they are living her experiences with her. Her comedic timing and one-liners fill the room with laughter and add lighter moments to the performance, yet when paired with the evocative music (written with the help of collaborators including Irish treasure Mundy and Emmy-winning Jeannie Lurie) takes the audience on an authentic, emotional journey.
Most of the original songs are performed solo, with just Cullen accompanying herself on guitar. Her extraordinary vocals and musical skill speak to her early career as a member of indie pop band Saucy Monky. Her talent alone is a reason to catch the show, but then it’s combined with a heartfelt collection of music you are likely to want to want to put on repeat.
Cullen’s first musical has a unique feature – the use of multimedia. As part of her narration, the audience is shown video montages of memories from the past, helping to illustrate the reminiscences and the struggle of letting go of what once was.
As she attempts to move on, the audience is witness to zoom calls from Cullen’s close friends, played on screen by Gearóid Farrelly and Naimee Coleman. The two songs that aren’t solos, involving these characters on a Zoom call with the onstage Cullen, really help to highlight how Cullen feels distant from her passions and how important the support of her friends has become. The lighthearted tune ‘The State of Ya’ stands out as a moment of honesty and lasting connection between friends.
This is not a love story, and it certainly isn’t a romance. It is a story about feeling compelled to leave a love that is no longer serving you, even when your heart says no. When Cullen returns home to Dublin, after 25 years of living in LA and Barcelona, it is not just a physical homecoming, but a path to rediscovering a passion for music.
Cullen realises that her life is not her marriage, or her demanding corporate job. Instead she needs to follow her heart and simply seeing where that takes her. Paired with the moving direction of Aishlinn Mcilhone, Cullen’s first original musical is a confessional about starting over – a work shaped by loss, acceptance and growth.
It is no surprise that the musical has already been well received, winning Best Performance at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2024 and winning an Edinburgh Festival Fringe Theatre Award (EFFTA) in 2025.
The production visits Barcelona toward the end of July before heading back to Dublin in mid-October.
Libby O’Connell
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