LIFE

I loved the richness of the text, the juxtaposition of allegory and reality and the deft and sympathetic playing of the actors. It was also a vivd reminder of my own experience as a life model; the fixation on tiny details in the room, the need to mentally focus and the peculiar effect it has on one's perception of time. Bravo, Maria and Leo!

Such a wonderful show ! An extraordinary challenging extremely comforting experience. Audience members are invited to draw during the performance, however I found myself utterly transfixed by the two powerful performances on stage, so much so failed to sketch anything.
Leo and Maria have a stunning stage chemistry and the combination of powerful and emotive text make this a funny and then heartbreaking hour. This one should run and run!

Brilliant and Moving with a surprise twist, a must see

A beautifully written piece full of emotion and laughter. Excellent performances from both actors showing depth and subtlety. The audience participation was great fun and drew you into the story. Loved it and highly recommend.

A gem of a show; touching, intriguing and unfussy.

Oooooft! What a fabulous show ❤️ Funny, deeply moving, graceful and raw, this show invites the audience to a Life Drawing class - complete with paper and pencils and even onstage easels! The performance is delightful, powerful and shares deeply profound observations about life and love and death. I was so enchanted I didn’t draw a single line but was so impressed by the audience around me who sketched ferociously, absorbing the performance and committing their experience to paper. Highly recommend for the writing, the creative format, the brilliant performances, beautiful music and movement. An inspiring and truly memorable fringe experience!

Maria MacDonell weaves magic with her storytelling. This telling leaves you charmed long after the play has ended in the theatre. A genuine delight.

An incredible performance from Maria in this intriguing, thought-provoking play. I wasn’t sure what to expect (hadnt seen the trigger warnings) so was surprised at some of the darker themes but still found it very enjoyable. The drawing was fun element and you don’t have to show if that worries you! Highly recommend

My first show at the Fringe this year, and what a fantastic start! The performance offers captivating reflections on life and aging, culminating in an unexpected twist. Sparkling throughout, Maria MacDonell delivers a mesmerizing performance in this excellent show. Plenty of food for thought and truly a must-see!

"Life" is excellent - dark, playful, serious, funny, brilliantly performed and shimmering with depth. Hard to stop thinking about. Sex and death, ageing, the brevity of life, immortality: a portrait (a life?) is never finished, it just stops: such preoccupations as these are touched on with the deft lightness of touch of someone (like late Beethoven?) with mastery and no time to waste. Heartily recommended.

I love the concept. The audience is taking part in a drawing class, we can hear the thoughts of the model, as well as her words spoken aloud...and something is slightly otherworldly about our teacher!
innovative and fun. deep and colourful. what a lovely piece of theatre-highly recommended!

Life is set in an art class, where the audience is invited to draw as the piece plays out. A tense relationship between the teacher and model holds the thread of the narrative until the shift is revealed. A beautiful piece.

Quirky

Not what we expected but enjoyable

Lovely story well told and portrayed

Took me back to art student days

Worth a watch but deep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LIFE is a beguiling trip- a combination of storytelling, poetry and music disguised as a drawing class. Themes of art, mortality, perception and the meaning of life interweave in an intoxicating blend. While this might in other hands easily drift into pretension or pomposity this never does. This chamber piece is romantic, playful, surprisingly funny in places and ultimately profoundly moving. Leo MacNeil's art teacher and Maria MacDonnel's model ask us to ponder the notion that every single one of us is an artist- even if we can only manage to draw stick men!
This is my second time seeing LIFE. I plan to come a third time later in the run.
A must see.

LIFE by Maria MacDonell, Studio Story Theatre
"Everything you can imagine is real." That's theatre for you. This afternoon's play was another challenge. I had the unique opportunity to sit on the stage, which meant I had to "play" an art student and complete a drawing in front of the audience. Despite never having drawn before, I managed to create my first-ever drawing during the performance. I jokingly told Maria afterward that although my drawing wasn’t great, I was still proud of it because it had genuine emotion in it.
The setting of the play was a "studio", and four audience members, including myself, were invited to draw while the story unfolded. Other audience members were given small sketch boards. Initially, I was nervous, claiming I couldn’t draw, but a kind usher assured me that I didn't have to show my work if I didn't want to, and I could even choose not to draw at all. However, under the guidance of Leo, who played the art teacher, I found myself drawing.
Maria portrayed Estelle, an elderly but still captivating model. As the story unfolds, it explores the essence of life. When Estelle reflects on never having imagined she would grow old, and declares that she doesn’t want her life to end here because there’s still so much theatre, wine, travel, and adventures awaiting her, I found myself wiping away tears and using them to add depth to my drawing.