RECOVERING WHAT’S LOST
A teen suddenly loses a parent and wonders what could have been. Further, the parting words were angry ones. As a result, does she own any responsibility herself? She ponders how she can reconcile her feelings about her parent when nothing is the same anymore. Ultimately, can she move forward with peace and surety?
In so many ways, the introspection in this new musical now playing at The Old Globe in 
San Diego reminds me of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. In that show, Evan desperately seeks to find his way amid the chaos of his life. In LIFE AFTER, however, the chaotic world of a young teen arrives like a bolt of lightning. “Alice Carter” (Sophie Hearn) loses her father, “Frank Carter” (Bradley Dean), abruptly in an auto accident. She then explores their relationship, its truths and its falsehoods, even considering her own culpability for the tragic event. All the while, the rest of the family members reveal their own coping mechanisms seemingly at odds with Alice’s thoughts.
Her mother “Beth Carter” (Mamie Parris) quickly seems intent on painting the wallpaper in her husband’s study. Her older sister, “Kate Carter” (Charlotte Maltby) wants to change the subject and move on. Alice has no intention, though, of burying that part of her life so abruptly, preferring instead to investigate the circumstances of her father’s fatal crash and her guilt surrounding it. In the process of delving into the details, she encounters uncomfortable revelations about her famous father.
Alice’s best friend. “Hannah” (Livvy Marcus) offers her encouraging advice along the way. Also, her respected schoolteacher, “Ms. Hopkins” (Dan’Yelle Williamson), lends a sympathetic ear to the troubled teen even as she seems to be pulling up stakes to take another position in a distant school. Alice continues to turn over stone after stone in her quest to make sense of the calamity.
Meanwhile, three ladies, each with a “Fury” character designation (Mackenzie Warren, Charlotte Mary Wen and Ximone Rose), act as a contemporary Greek chorus of sorts, observing, interjecting, challenging, and advising, while darting in and out of the action. According to mythology, these goddesses (the “Furies”) were bent on vengeance and invisible, even ugly and swarming with serpents. They were focused on assigning guilt in the midst of their anger and intent on comeuppance for the offender. Incidentally, these Furies on the Donald & Darlene Shiley Stage are far from ugly and they dispense with the snakes as well (thank goodness!).
And who holds the reins in this project? Britta Johnson is her name and she injects life into this family as the playwright, composer and lyricist (the whole shebang, if you will). As 
a young Canadian talent, the lady has made her mark with this show in theatrical circles among our northern neighbors. Plenty of DORA awards (akin to our TONY‘s) have been showered on this musical before its journey to San Diego. Actually, it is important to recognize that there exists a wealth of theatrical know-how in Canada, centered in Toronto, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Shaw Festival and other provinces near and far. In this remarkable musical, Americans seem likely also to discover this extraordinary talent in the wake of the earlier, Canadian contributions of Bob Martin, Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE as well as Irene Sankoff and David Hein in the more recent COME FROM AWAY.
Sophie Hearn comprises the core of this show as Alice Carter and she delivers the goods. Passionate, insecure, confident, energetic, emotional, complex – she represents all of these qualities as she wrestles with this perplexing and shocking disruption in her life as a sixteen-year-old. This critic’s twenty-five year career teaching students of this precise age leads him to the inescapable conclusion that Ms.Hearn has succeeded mightily in creating a believable path to the teen’s eventual self-actualization and tentative renewal and stability in the meantime. Oh, and she sings with passionate commitment, too.
Bradley Dean, as Frank Carter (the other central character in the play), demonstrates a 
bond with his youngest daughter which is meaningful and intense. His popularity on the speaking circuit has interfered with his connection to his teenage daughter, yet his actions in flashback dignify his love for Alice. He “phones it in” (not really, but a little humor rarely is out of place, right?). This Broadway veteran handles the demands of the drama along with the musical score with aplomb.
It seems as if Mamie Parris’ mother Beth often is shoved into the background and may need some additional attention as the libretto evolves. Of course, the necessity of highlighting that father/daughter relationship remains paramount and the correct balance properly challenges the creative team.
Other featured performances by Charlotte Maltby as the older daughter Kate, Livvy Marcus as the best friend Hannah and Dan’Yelle Williamson as the schoolteacher Ms.Hopkins all mimic the very real influences on a teen at this time of upheaval and they all score points in my book. As for the Furies, their theatricality in the staging is undeniable, but their function in the script may be more problematic. Possible tinkering as the journey continues? Questions may need to be resolved going forward about intrusiveness, in
particular. No doubt, though, that these ladies do demonstrate a raucous blend of musical talent as the unseen (yet seen, of course) trio comment on the proceedings. Lynne Shankel ably leads the small orchestra and does justice to the affecting music on all fronts.
The Old Globe could not have found a more suitable director than their own Barry Edelstein. This choice strikes me as one of the finest connections between a grand arbiter and dramatic material that this critic has witnessed in recent years. The complexity of the musical drama demands an inventive mind with a full grasp of the dramatist’s intentions and this happens to be a match in heaven. He marshals a steady control of the propulsive energy of the music and the possibilities for appropriate movement (compliments of Ann Yee) which keep the audience totally engaged. Well done, sir!
Prolific scenic designer Neil Patel, whose work is brilliantly augmented by the projection achievement of Sven Ortel, has a masterpiece on his hands. The lighting design of Japhy Weideman likewise paints incredible stage pictures. In fact, bravo to all of the technical contributors in this regard. The doors and windows which often shape the theatrical space
create stage magic over and over again.
As many of you might have guessed, this critic considers LIFE AFTER a stunning achievement for all involved. The musical also speaks to the rarefied needs of a teenager, although it is an audience of “experienced” adults who leap to their feet upon the show’s conclusion. Note to theatregoer: See it again…and this time bring along your teen-aged children and/or grandchildren!
pc: Jeremy Daniel
