Arts & Culture

What: Life After
Where: CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St.
When: Now, until Sat., May 10
Highlight: Julia Pulo’s comedic timing!
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should go: Promising next steps for Canadian musical theatre production likely heading to Broadway

THERE’S A LOT to like about Britta Johnson’s musical, Life After.

The production quality, for one. Starting from humble beginnings at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, the show has been steadily moving to larger venues, with productions mounted at Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Theatre, The Old Globe in San Diego and The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The current iteration, in Mirvish’s largest house, is lofty in its design and refined in its detail. It has a polished quality that not-so-subtly screams “pre-Broadway trial.” And the producers have certainly stacked the creative team — both on  and off stage — with some heavy-hitting talent.

Let’s start with the cast, led by a pitch-perfect Isabella Esler as protagonist, 16-year-old Alice. Fresh off a stint playing Lydia in the National Tour of Beetlejuice, Esler seems to be cornering the market for “grieving teen” characters. Alice leads the audience through the show, which concerns the untimely death of her father Frank (Jake Epstein), the mystery surrounding his final moments and the complex nature of grief. The plot is simple but effective, packed into a (mostly) tight 90-minutes. Rounding out the company are Frank’s seemingly put-together widow (Mariand Torres), Alice’s older sister Kate (Valeria Ceballos), quirky best friend Hannah (a scene-stealing Julia Pulo), teacher Ms. Hopkins (Chilina Kennedy, the Cynthia Dale of Broadway!) and a vibrant Greek chorus (Kaylee Harwood, Arinea Hermans and Zoe O’Connor).

The creative team is equally impressive, merging beloved Canadian talent (such as the highly respected Britta Johnson) with the best of Broadway. Steered by director Annie Tippe, the show beautifully blends naturalism with theatricality. Todd Rosenthal’s set is detailed yet stylized, simultaneously grounding the show and making it feel like a spectacle worthy of the large theatre in which it is housed. Japhy Weideman’s lighting design is clean and sleek, a nice complement to the intricacies of the set.

Musically, Johnson’s score is pretty, complex and layered with a modern twist, though perhaps a tad atonal in effect that may not be to everyone’s taste. The standout number of the show, Poetry, has conveniently been used in all the promotional material — with good reason. It’s a particularly lovely song, performed with heart and care by Esler. I wish the rest of the score packed the same punch as that final number.

Tonally, the show feels somewhat scattered, shifting rapidly from light-hearted comedic beats to touching introspection. Maybe this is a deliberate choice in an effort to convey the idea that “losing is confusing” (as Johnson’s lyrics suggest). The show certainly isn’t emotionally exploitative, but the jarring shifts come across as emotional whiplash. Each supporting character is given an opportunity to dive deeper into their respective inner monologues, but these moments don’t always feel fully earned. We’re too often told about character development that isn’t entirely shown.

The 90-minute musical mostly moves at a steady pace, though drags a little toward the end, beginning with the scene where the core family unit paints a room and the audience literally watches paint dry (sorry, it was too easy). The final three numbers, though nice, are all power ballads predominantly sung by the lead character, which can feel a bit repetitive. Nonetheless, there are many sniffles to be heard coming from the audience, so clearly people are connecting with the material.

The big question on everyone’s minds is if Life After, a homegrown Canadian musical, will have a life after this Toronto run? It’s a show I want to root for, that’s for sure.