Review: A BRIEF LIST OF EVERYONE WHO DIED, Finborough Theatre

As its title suggests, A Brief List of Everyone Who Died is a play that deals with grief.

It's a subject that we've been making art about for centuries - though there's never one clear answer on how we should respond to or approach loss.

Within the context of this play, however, Graciela (Vivia Font) decides upon an 'effective' coping strategy at the tender age of 5, following the loss of her beloved dog Buster. She simply won't allow anyone she cares about to die.

"If nobody I like ever goes to heaven, then I won't ever have to be sad," she explains to her childhood best friend, Jordan. It's a strategy buoyed by nothing more than naivety - and in the following scenes, we learn that it's not all that effective, either.

The eighty-minute production tells the story of Graciela's life - or rather, the losses that define her - from colleagues to friends to parents. The "list of everyone" is a lot to cram into the short running time, which sometimes means we don't get to know some of the characters as much as we'd like.

Of course, in some cases, the fact that we learn little about these characters is useful - it means that we can attach our own losses and experiences of grief to them easily - they become place cards that remind you of a relative or a friend of a friend. However, in a piece that is largely character-driven, it can feel that something is missing at times.

The result is tonally heavy production (which is what should be expected given the title), which does not always have enough light to cast its shade. While some moments hit harder than others, adding some brighter moments to the mix would only serve to exemplify this and elicit a stronger emotional response from the audience.

All five performers on stage give strong, considered performances - and multi-rolling is used to great effect throughout. Viva Font, as the often abrasive lead, has a strong understanding of her character's psyche - which drives the narrative forward.

Siphiwo Mahlentle gives a stand-out performance as Jordan, a friend of Gracie, and Malaki, her son, in turn. In both, he demonstrates an exceptional skill for emoting the smaller, more nuanced moments within the script, which may otherwise go ignored.

Kathryn Akin also gives a delightful spell as Anne, Graciela's mother, and later her granddaughter, Lily - a shift supported by a pair of sparkling fairy wings. She's paired nicely with the charismatic Alejandro De Mesa, who plays Raul, Graciela's father. Amelia Campbell rounds off the cast as Cass, Graciela's partner, whose softer personality is a nice contrast to Graciela throughout.

The set design from Alice McNicholas is rustic and simple, which works wonderfully for the scope of a play that runs over several decades. Lights are used throughout to signify when a character has passed away (with lighting design from Rachel Sampley), and audiences often find themselves waiting for the next flick of the switch. While this could veer into feeling formulaic, it's a nice twist that the lights are turned on as a death occurs - as death is so often presented as an extinguishing of light.

While it does feel as though only the surface of the love between the characters is scratched, with considered direction from Alex Howarth and a script packed with emotional density from Jacob Marx Rice - there's a lot to enjoy within this production.

A Brief List of Everyone Who Died is at Finborough Theatre until June 10.

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