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Maria Kearns
Thomas Faulkner is a man with a plan and he’s not afraid to tell you all about it.
In this new play by Mike van Graan, John Maytham stars as a man in his sixties who has stared death in the face and said, ‘No, thanks; here’s what we’ll do instead’, before proceeding to lay out a ten-point agenda replete with slide presentation and colour handouts.
The play uses a clever framing device: Faulkner is here to make a video that will act as a companion to his living will. The rather clinical surroundings of Artscape’s Innovation Lounge —the muted colours, the noisy industrial fan, the unraked seating— almost serve to transport the audience to the bleak reality of the kind of institutional setting that may witness the recording of a quasi-legal document. Welcome to Home Affairs, the venue seems to proclaim.
As Maytham’s Faulkner introduces us to his beloved late wife, his practical sister, his émigré daughters, and the nephew who has become like a son to him, we are shown a candid glimpse of the inner workings of a kind, honest man’s soul.
Director Josh Lindberg’s pared-down staging gives Maytham the freedom to move
around the small stage as he switches between the present and a series of often painful reminiscences about his wife’s illness and the cruel decline of a talented, much-loved woman. We are reminded in no uncertain terms of the fact that life doesn’t always turn out the way we’d like it to, and that it’s foolish to cling to notions of fairness when it comes to life and death.
It is because of his witnessing of his wife’s pleading to be granted a swift death that Faulkner has realised the necessity of putting his wishes to paper (and digital film): He does not want to suffer and he does not want to be a burden: an outcome he knows is not possible as South African law stands at the moment but a desire he still wishes —needs— to express.
Maytham delivers a sensitive portrayal of a man consumed by grief despite the inexorable march of time and his bubbling desire to be an active force for good in the world. It’s a pity that the play at times comes across more as spirited editorial or motivational speech than stage production, and one cannot help wondering whether a stealthier approach (and less of a reliance on Faulkner’s repeated self-flagellating admissions of his undeniable privilege) may have allowed the central message to be put across more powerfully.
Nevertheless, judging by the number of vigorously nodding heads and murmurs of
agreement, Van Graan’s imploring words about doing good and giving back clearly
resonated with many members of the audience.
It’s not hard to see that this play is the product of much hard-won wisdom emanating from both playwright and performer, but one is left with the impression that their eagerness to impart that wisdom means that narrative tension and character development take a backseat.
TO LIFE, WITH LOVE opened on 3 February 2025 and is on at the Artscape Innovation Lounge until the 8 February 2025. Book through Webtickets. After its Artscape run, it transfers to the Galloway Theatre (12 to 22 February 2025) and the Drama Factory (28 February to 2 March 2025).