After Life

Going to our old friend Wikipedia, After Life  is described as a play by Jack Thorne (concept by Thorne, Bunny Christie, and Jeremy Herrin) based on the 1998 film of the same name by Japanese Film Director Hirokazu Kore-eda, which actually explains the style of this play perfectly, as watching this was at times like watching a ballet in slow motion. Now, I don’t mean this in any derogatory manner whatsoever, but the stylised oriental influence was paramount from the opening scene. First published in 2021and searching through the NODA website it would appear that LBDG are the first NODA associated society to actually perform it on the amateur stage. So, without any preconcept I was intrigued to see how joint directors Ben Dards and Dee Denehan had set about this somewhat sobering subject. The story idea, itself is not new, there are many versions, and is in fact exactly the same as for example Christopher Heimann, Diene Petterle & Neil Monaghan’s play100, first published in 2005, which I reviewed for NODA back in March 2025, but where the basic premise may be identical their presentation styles are completely different.

After Life is a simple concept whereby after dying we all initially enter the waiting room between life and death. There, before travelling on to the afterlife and given a week to do so, we have to choose one memory and one only, which will then be our enduring image for eternity. LBDG’s usual excellently designed programme (by Jo Taylor) starts with the following: “Please take a seat. Yesterday you passed away. We are sorry for your loss, you will not be here long’ Chilling!

To further draw us into the story, as we entered the auditorium each member of the audience was given a sticky label to wear with a unique number on it and given the instruction, ‘If your number is called, please make your way to the stage’. On entering, the curtain was already open to a stage containing just shoes all very neatly dotted around. Four figures then appeared and in a very stylised manner choreographed their way to picking them up in unison, placing them very carefully in boxes, labelling them and carrying them offstage. They were the shoes belonging to the previous occupants of the waiting room the week before, and we were about to see the latest souls to enter.  Numbers were then called out over a tannoy and the various members of the company strategically positioned in the audience were summoned to the stage. Now that certainly got our attention. Very clever!

The stage designed by Mike Ward, Colin Delamore and Phil Pope was divided into three areas; rear stage right was a raised area with a very large tv/video screen on the back wall which was used throughout the show. Rear stage left was a railed off platform upon which the various ‘souls’ appeared with the rest of the action on the bare stage to the fore but with an alcove stage right in front of the curtains, where there was a desk and chair from where ‘Five’ called the next soul to the waiting room.

We then followed the story of several souls, over a seven day period each of whom were assigned a guide, named simply as One through to Five to help them decide on their chosen memory and then help them recreate it for eternity. Each day of the week was cleverly depicted using different props, starting with Monday on the TV screen then clipboards, bunting, a banner and placards. Very neat!

First, we had Beatrice Killick played by Barbara Springthorpe, whose arrival in the waiting room really tugged at the heartstrings as she feared her body would never be found and her house bound cat would starve to death. With the aid of her younger self, played by Tania Amado Fish explores the complicated relationship she had with her brother, Harold played by Rich Fish, whilst deciding on her memory.

For the guides each sticks with just a number. Lois Wright is One, Charles Merritt is Two, although he breaks the mould as we learn more about his real life before he passed, Charlie was born in 1951 but died when he was still young. It is his story that we explore most and his relationships with the rest of the guides. All the rest stick to just being called by their number. Three is relative newcomer Abiodun Oduyemi, who joined the company for Treasure Island last January and certainly held his own in this high class company. Four, a teenager, was played by Donna Treacy-Revell, who provided a lot of the much needed comedy and was not adverse to use of swearing, much to the consternation of Two and the amusement of the audience. And five played by Rob Taylor was the man in charge of the waiting room, keeping everybody on track and calling out the numbers over the tannoy!

For the other souls that enter the waiting room from their seat in the auditorium, the excellent John Stone is an angry old man Hirokazu Mochizuki disillusioned with his life and his relationship with his wife played by Emma Brown with Louis Fordham as the young Hirokazu, who also played Henry Thompson, another character on his way through the waiting room. Two realises that he has a family connection to Hirokazu which is prohibited under the house rules and searches his conscience on whether or not to declare it. The excellent Simon Theodorou is Obafemi Taylor a brash character who refuses to accept his fate and is described by his guide as rude. Another poignant soul searching character is Jill Smart very well played by Beatriz Fish in her first role with LBDG. Also, in his first appearance with LBDG, a very tall, striking Rich Fish made a very formal entrance as Harold, a soldier in his formal attire, as well as a creepy 'soul' Graham with a disturbing tale, and also Katie's first boyfriend. And finally, we had Sue Calvert and Mike Ward playing various roles as part of the Chorus. LBDG are blessed with a depth of excellent actors and all the performances in this production very much demonstrated what a leading society they are, as did the packed houses they played to throughout the run.

This play was very clever and had some neat touches, from the excellent sound and underscoring from Thomas Davies and Rob Denehan, various lighting effects and a pink confetti drops from Dave Miles, the very clever slow motion choreography from Sophie Dean, to the excellent props and set decoration by Sue Calvert which included sourcing a fantastic large scale model of a bi-plane! Even the excellent programme joins in the macabre referring to all the cast as having passed on! But the piece-de-resistance has to be the bow. Only the guides appeared on stage and all the ‘souls’ that passed through simply appeared on the video screen, turned, and left though a portal into the light of the after world; the guides mirrored their departure, turning their backs to watch the screen as an alternative to the traditional bow! That is the definition of great imaginative out of the box thinking!

So well done indeed to Ben Dards and Dee Denehan for making what is a very uncomfortable subject into a fascinating piece of theatre. At times the pace seemed to almost stop, but against all the rules of the theatre it was those thoughtful pauses that somehow made it work so well. How you did that I may ponder for some time to come!

Finally, many thanks to Caroline Page for looking after us so royally!

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