Life Sentence[author-post-rating] (3/5 Stars)

What would be a hilarious illness for a hypochondriac to catch? Immortality, of course. This is the basis of Life Sentence, a witty performance of new writing by Beyond The Bridge Productions. The inevitable cheese of the narrative made me want to start singing Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’ halfway through, yet the actors committed to it with a conviction and credibility that suspended my skepticism.

Theo, the victim cursed to live forever, is a little annoying yet very entertaining. While his incredulity at the point of diagnosis is half-hearted, his comic timing and pun delivery are spot on. After understanding his predicament, he and his friends make the bizarre choice to arrange an ad hoc funeral so that he can pretend he isn’t immortal after all. The thespian sister who leads the organising is very nearly a show-stealer. While excellent, her Abigail’s Party caricature runs a little too close to pantomime. She takes another turn as Theo’s grieving mother at the makeshift funeral, and is delightfully funny.

The show is fast-paced and compact yet certain aspects of it remain confused. I was surprised to realise halfway through that the characters held nice aspirational jobs in the media and publishing industries, as most of the actors looked like they worked in Greggs. And shortly after that, the impromptu will-they-won’t-they sexual rendezvous between Theo and his best friend seems misplaced and unbelievable. The play is undoubtedly funny and the entire audience were in fits of laughter, yet the narrative lacks an overall sense of cohesion.

The twist at the end of the play is the strongest moment: suddenly, the huge concepts of life and death that Life Sentence merely toys with become crucially relevant. It is quirkily life-affirming, and the confusions of design, narrative and character do not take too much from its entertainment value. It is one or two steps away from being a great show, and in the mean time is a witty vehicle for the cast.

Life Sentence is on at theSpace on the Mile until 17 of August. For more information and tickets, see the Edinburgh Fringe website.