Eve Miller
LIFE takes place in a life drawing class, in which model Estelle poses for the students, and allows them to get to know her story along the way. In this metatheatrical love letter to artistry and the beauty of being perceived, the audience is invited to draw the performers, becoming a part of the class, and the play itself.
Estelle arrives at the class in a hurry, expecting to be posing nude, and mildly irritated when she discovers that she is to remain clothed. While she does not expose her body, over the course of the play she does lay bare her inner world, exposing anxieties surrounding aging as a woman whose job is to be beautiful, and a preoccupation with time that pervades the production. She takes us through her birth and loss of her mother, her early years at a stifling and oppressive boarding school, and her abusive first marriage. She forces The Artist into the role of the antagonist in these stories, a role he struggles to fill, preferring to encourage Estelle to explore her experiences as a vehicle for understanding herself.
The performances are strong, with Maria MacDonnell remaining entirely engaging throughout, playing Estelle with a restless anxiety and petulant charm. Leo MacNeil is commanding as The Artist, playing this ephemeral role with gravity and a grounded quality. Their chemistry is strong, and their interactions with each other and the audience provide a strong basis for MacDonnell to break off from in her monologue sections, creating an ebb and flow of focus that draws the audience in.
The script could be tighter, becoming muddled and losing the through-line of the production’s key themes as the play winds towards its inevitable ending, however its focus on female aging and the commodification of beauty and art remains fascinating throughout. Ben Harrison’s directing is slick and effective, drawing the gaze to MacDonnell’s frenetic and captivating performance and hinting at the route that the play is following without giving away too much too soon. Roddy Simpson’s lighting design is notable, washing the stage in a variety of hues that conjure the feeling of the action taking place inside a painting.
Engagingly interactive, LIFE is an artistic, innovative, and immersive mediation on identity, aging, and incorrigible time.
Drink recommendation: A robust, full bodied Malbec.
You can catch LIFE at Netherbow Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre from 15th to 19th August at 18:45 (65 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
