Last Life feels like a social experiment. As a higher power ensnares two beings within a confined space before our eyes, we witness an explosion of connection and conflict, poeticised by a striking assemblage of Shakespearian dialogue. These are two fantastically exciting ideas: chucking two people in a room without doors and seeing what happens (my description avoiding the beauty and sensitivity of how this actually is brought to life on stage) and reassembling/reframing Shakespeare’s words – and your favourite quotes – within this new narrative. Company The Box Collective succeed in sustaining the excitement and promise of this concept.
Worthy of sitting alongside the tales of Shakespeare’s greatest lovers.
The trickiest factor of this endeavour is undeniably the simple fact that while Shakespearian text often escapes its context and favours more general musings, our memory of it is intrinsically linked to the narrative for which it was written; it is hard to not remember Hamlet, and Helena, and Henry V as their most famous words are patched together. Getting away from this inherent recollection and comparison – and potential to become a Shakespeare ‘Greatest Hits’ – is wildly necessary for creating something truly new, and Last Life does this to great effect, creating an engaging and fascinating new story and relationship that feels not only truly fresh, but worthy of sitting alongside the tales of Shakespeare’s greatest lovers. The physicality and dynamic presence of the company of three actors electrify the space and the interplay with fiery and yet sensual power; every breath charged with vibrant energy, every movement sequence matching the dialogue’s potency.
Just as with all modern experiences of Shakespeare, there is work to be done beyond concept to maximise its capacity for translation, and Last Life has no exception from this. For the most part, this work is done by the simplicity of the narrative – a new relationship’s broad twists and turns are easy to interpret. However, it is when the piece turns towards the deep and complex investigations it is obviously striving towards, that the onstage action loses its dynamism and becomes more monotone. The danger of this being that these seeds for the narrative’s climax remain slightly complicated, and jeopardise the experience of the resolution and the overall journey’s cohesiveness.
Last Life is an inspired choice for those looking to find Shakespearian fulfilment this Fringe – especially if you’re smart i.e. not keen on the idea of watching a production of The Tempest heavily cut to fit a one hour slot. It's a bright and brilliant reframing of Shakesperian text, one that gleams with overflowing love and admiration for its sources. It is also not only a cutting edge bit of theatre-making but essential viewing for those looking to expand and modernise their understanding of Shakespeare and his work.
