For one awkward initial moment, the audience wonders whether they’re in the right show. A deep, booming voice announces the arrival of Death as a young man steps through the gloom and onto the stage, striking a threatening pose, aided no end by the lighting on stage and some seriously disturbing eye shadow. He holds his gaze, long enough for us to realise that there is both talent and dark humour on display in the Caves tonight.
Then it’s lighten up time, as we are introduced to the misunderstood Death, who just wants to help people reach fulfillment, all the while keeping the other three horsemen at bay. We are taken on a journey through the history of time, mankind and the meaning of life, from the ancient civilisations to the modern world, mixed with sub-plots featuring fake gods and two immortals; a laid-back Holy Grail, and a sex-crazed personification of the Light! The attention is held throughout, as the Death character takes us on his seminar-type journey, beset by War as he tries to create a morbid monopoly over life on Earth.
There are several musical interludes crammed into the hour performance, which lend more than just a hint of Pythonism to the already maniacal tendencies of Death and his unwinding story, liberating the world from War, before unmasking the whole show as a play by mere mortals. Afterlife certainly won’t change the world, or whatever lies beyond, but it is a damn good escape from it all. A particularly macabre laugh, as you can put up with the death jokes that flow plentifully from the stage. Death has rarely been so much fun.
3/5
Simon Ferguson
