REVIEW: The Life Cycle of a Star, Carthage College Theatre, EdFringe 2025 ★★★

A heartwarming representation of female friendship.

The Life Cycle of a Star follows the story of two women, Anna and Lily, from the day they met in Kindergarten, to the day they die. They grow up with very different lives, yet always promising to be there for each other and to grow old together. It is sweet and gentle.

As I walked in I noticed a full band set up around the space, believing I was in for a musical or some sweet instrumentals to move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this band were only used for small sound effects and instrumentals of existing songs throughout the piece, and were used disappointingly little for such a talented band.

The performances from the two leads, Anna and Lily, played by Lily Lourigan and Melissa Schmidt were outstanding, their relationship felt real and genuine and made me reminisce on the good times with my childhood best friend, but overall I felt the piece was lacking direction, and while the narrator and ensemble were very good performers, their role in the show gave this piece a very amateur feel, with the narration at times feeling as if this were a children’s show despite the more adult themes throughout.

I also felt this way about the set design, which consisted of a collection of black boxes which felt very akin to a secondary school drama class.

Towards the end of the piece there was an excellent movement piece, where we are taken out of the contemporary setting of the show and into the stars. This scene was beautiful, and I wish more of the show was like this. It was my favourite scene, but felt out of place in the context of the show as a whole.

There is a lot to love about this show, but it maybe didn’t need to be 85 minutes long.

Recommended Drink: A Keg of Beer at your Harvard Party.

Performances of Life Cycle of a Star have now concluded at EdFringe 2025.