Review: TO LIFE, WITH LOVE starring John Maytham and Directed by Josh Lindberg

This was a tough one to review because of the emotions that came up while watching and I've been sitting with it for about a week now... TO LIFE, WITH LOVE is a new work from Mike van Graan, starring John Maytham and directed by Josh Lindberg. It's a story of a man who has faced some hardships, challenges and brushes with mortality - no more or less than most ordinary people, just enough to suddenly take stock of where he is and how he is living. At it's heart, this play is simple and honest, and I find that it will probably continue to sit with me for a while.

The play starts with the character, Thomas Michael Faulkner (played by Maytham), sitting on a chair and talking to a camera (the audience). He is creating a living will. Faulkner is not about to die, nor is he ill or concerned about any imminent troubles. However, he has been through a series of events - loss of a loved one and a brush with the dreaded cancer - and this has caused him to evaluate his life and make sure that he goes out on his terms, when the time comes.

What struck me the most about TO LIFE, WITH LOVE is just how ordinary it is. The story is so honest and easy to connect with. Everyone I spoke to about it said that there was a piece of the story or the character that resonated with them. For me, having recently lost a family member to cancer, it was the brush with mortality and the idea of going out on your terms that struck me and sat with me. For others, it was the impact of COVID and someone else, it was the pain of watching someone struggle with depression.

That was the beauty of this play. It was just real. There were no bells and whistles to writing, no frills to the direction and heartfelt honesty from the performance. There were points in the piece that felt like the play was still new and needed time to really sit down into the emotions. And that is the best thing about live theatre - performances and plays grow and morph over time, often getting better and better.

TO LIFE, WITH LOVE has already enjoyed a short run at the Artscape and will move to The Drama Factory at the end of February. You can get tickets for that run on their website.

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