Review: TO LIFE, WITH LOVE at Societas Theatre Is a Lesson in Accepting Mortality

TO LIFE, WITH LOVE, commissioned by 567 legend John Maytham, written by Mike van Graan and directed by Josh Lindberg is not the sort of show one goes to escape the realities of life – in fact, it demands that the viewer confronts the scariest reality of all: his own death.

Personally, this is a topic that I actively try to avoid. That, though, is the point of the production: ironically, one must deal with one’s inevitable demise so that one can truly live. Throughout TO LIFE, WITH LOVE, we observe the protagonist, Thomas Faulkner, on this journey of acceptance – that we all die.

I’ll be honest – I was uncomfortable for much of the show and yet, again, I think that’s the point. To be confronted with death (its inevitability, the many forms that it can take, and the administrative banalities that accompany it) is not necessarily pleasant. But by turning towards it, by accepting it and by acknowledging its presence, it somehow becomes (slightly) less terrifying.

Van Graan’s writing is, as always, textured and layered, lush with metaphors and beautiful language. The show surrounds the musings and experiences of Thomas Faulkner, a widower reeling after the passing of his wife and mourning her pre-death decline as a result of dementia. Faulker, in his sixties, and also a prostate cancer survivor, decides to take his power back: to acknowledge mortality, to prepare for it as best he can, both for his own sake and for the sake of his loved ones who he will eventually leave behind.

Maytham’s smooth, lyrical voice is always a gift to the ear. While I often found the subject matter difficult, this is a moving production and Maytham’s gentle portrayal of a grieving character reminds us that healing is not linear and that one is often as old (or as young) as he feels.