EDINBURGH 2026 Review: LIVE FROM THE AFTERLIFE, Assembly Roxy
Runs until 31 August.
Charlie Kilgore was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was a baby. Knowing he had an expiration date from a very young age led him to take as much pleasure from this world as he could. A gifted songwriter with a deadly sense of humour, he tells us his journey, re-contextualising the burden of living. It would be easy to pigeonhole Live From The Afterlife as a basic contemplation of human existence, but it would be a disservice to Kilgore’s deadpan wit and knack for a lethal one-liner.
He alternates between direct address to the audience and mellow indie self-penned music that distils his complicated relationship with his health. Let’s be clear: if you hate death jokes, this is not the play for you, because there are a lot of those. It’s a dangerous brand of black comedy, hilariously cynical and thrillingly caustic. It’s also wholeheartedly blithe, making the monologue a fascinating exercise in tone.
Kilgore’s tune changes when he finds out about Trikafta (known as Kaftrio on this side of the planet), which suspends his death sentence and suddenly grants him a future. This, however, expectedly sends him into an existential crisis. How do you reconcile the reality of being awarded a normal lifespan when you’ve lived all your life with the knowledge you’d die young?
With no plan, no degree, and no credit card, Kilgore comes crashing from a high he thought would continue until his last breath. He keeps the comedy up, but softens his acerbic kick, and the piece transforms into an ode to life. As most death-obsessed pieces of theatre, it becomes joyously uplifting.
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