{"id":1620133,"date":"2025-05-03T23:31:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T03:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/?p=1620133"},"modified":"2025-05-06T08:13:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T12:13:16","slug":"divine-reviews-life-after","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/divine-reviews-life-after\/","title":{"rendered":"DIVINE Reviews: Life After"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Yonge Street Theatricals\u2019 production of <em data-start=\"2802\" data-end=\"2814\">Life After<\/em> is a must-see for anyone looking for a moving, musical exploration of grief, family, and moving forward. As a theatre lover, I jumped at the chance to experience this show, even though I didn\u2019t know much about it beforehand. <em data-start=\"3109\" data-end=\"3121\">Life After<\/em> first debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2016, and now, with book, music, and lyrics by Britta Johnson and direction by Annie Tippe, it has been beautifully brought to the stage once again.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"life-after-the-details\">Life After: The Details<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>It is a limited engagement, on until May 10th, 2025<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria Street,\u00a0Toronto<\/li>\n<li><strong>Running Time: <\/strong>90 minutes (there is no intermission)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tickets: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tickets.mirvish.com\/events\/after?view=calendar&amp;startdate=2025-04-16&amp;_gl=1*10w2ken*_gcl_au*OTczNDc1NjA4LjE3NDYzMjcyNzM.*_ga*MTA0MDA0MzE1OS4xNzQ2MzI3Mjcz*_ga_60DBYC1V3M*czE3NDYzMjcyNzMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NDYzMjcyNzQkajU5JGwwJGgw&amp;queueittoken=e_gensafe~q_33a22e73-78b8-4d51-9d88-39cf2885e5b2~ts_1746327542~ce_true~rt_safetynet~h_9e54f17bfca86ddf423a41e12e0dad56fa4b79ae7cbc04bf9dc9b58849f95675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mirvish.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"the-story\">The Story<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1620137\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1620137\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1620137\" src=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-0206r.jpg\" alt=\"Life After: The characters of Alice and Frank dancing on the stage\" width=\"600\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-0206r.jpg 600w, https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-0206r-320x229.jpg 320w, https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-0206r-560x401.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1620137\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Michael Cooper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Despite being a famous self-help author, Frank Carter&#8217;s optimistic advice offers little solace to his 16-year-old daughter,\u00a0Alice.\u00a0<span class=\"il\">After<\/span>\u00a0his\u00a0untimely\u00a0death,\u00a0Alice\u00a0emba<wbr \/>rks\u00a0on\u00a0a quest for truth, unravelling the events that changed her family forever.<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\"> Filled with heart, and extraordinary music, the show offers a powerful exploration of love, memory, and the journey of moving forward. [From the press release.]<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"the-review\"><a href=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/divine-movie-reviews-drop\/\">The Review<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Life After boasts one of the most powerful scripts I\u2019ve encountered in recent memory. The story of loss, guilt, and grief strikes a deep chord, yet it avoids feeling maudlin, offering a nuanced narrative that resonates deeply. Life After avoids being cliche with a powerful story that also includes laugh out loud moments.<\/p>\n<p>Isabella Esler, as Alice, delivers an unforgettable performance. Her portrayal of a grieving daughter on a mission for truth, not to absolve herself of guilt, but to understand her father\u2019s death, brings Britta Johnson\u2019s words and music to life in a raw and deeply emotional way. Mariand Torres, playing Alice\u2019s mother Beth, has one of the standout moments of the evening with her powerful rendition of the song \u201cWallpaper.\u201d It\u2019s a moment of heartache and reflection, showcasing the emotional depth of both the character and the performance.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1620140\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1620140\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1620140\" src=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-1155.jpg\" alt=\"Life After: Cast dancing on stage\" width=\"600\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-1155.jpg 600w, https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-1155-320x206.jpg 320w, https:\/\/divine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Life-After-1155-560x360.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1620140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Michael Cooper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Supporting characters, including the \u201cFuries\u201d (fans of Alice\u2019s late father) and her hilarious best friend Hannah (Julia Pulo), contribute to the richness of the production. Each character brings something unique, from poignant moments to comedic relief, helping to lift the weight of the story without detracting from its emotional core.<\/p>\n<p>Jake Epstein, as Frank, captures the essence of the character with warmth and complexity, leaving the audience feeling connected to the figure who is no longer physically present but whose influence lingers.<\/p>\n<p>While I may not remember every song as I would a classic like <em data-start=\"5754\" data-end=\"5762\">Wicked<\/em>, <em data-start=\"5764\" data-end=\"5776\">Life After<\/em> stands out because of its emotional impact. The story lingers long after the curtain falls, and that&#8217;s what makes it so special. Some may debate whether it\u2019s ready for Broadway, but I believe it is. Whether or not it makes it to the Great White Way, <em data-start=\"6027\" data-end=\"6039\">Life After<\/em> is a show that deserves to be seen. Take the time to experience it in Toronto\u2014it\u2019s truly worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-excerpt\">Yonge Street Theatricals\u2019 production of Life After is a must-see for anyone looking for a moving, musical exploration of grief, family, and moving forward. As a theatre lover, I jumped&hellip;<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/divine-reviews-life-after\/\" class=\"button button-primary button-effect\"><span>View Post<\/span><span><i class=\"cs-icon cs-icon-arrow-right\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1620134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[15666,15665,15667,15664,15671,15670,15669,15668,15672],"powerkit_post_featured":[2,10391],"class_list":{"0":"post-1620133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews","8":"tag-annie-tippe","9":"tag-britta-johnson","10":"tag-caa-ed-mirvish-theatre","11":"tag-life-after","12":"tag-life-after-broadway","13":"tag-life-after-musical-review","14":"tag-life-after-play","15":"tag-life-after-reviews","16":"tag-life-after-toronto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1620133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1620133"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1620133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1620144,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1620133\/revisions\/1620144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1620134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1620133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1620133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1620133"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1620133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}