Photo | Teagan McCanny
Afterlife: A Ghost Story is a play, written by Steve Yockey, that follows the lives of Connor, played by Isaac Lloyd, and Danielle, played by Olivia Rhiannon Nicoloff, after the death of their two-year-old son. The play is framed by a brewing storm, preparing to engulf the beach house that the couple once called home.
Director, Emma Keil-Vine, left a note in the programme that served as a perfect preface to this powerful show. Keil-Vine describes “the sigh” she and the cast felt in first reading through the play’s dark script and ends her message with the hope that, if anything, she can make us feel this very same sigh. I can assure you, Keil-Vine and her wonderfully emotive and passionate cast, made the audience feel this soul-stripping sigh from beginning to end.
The play opens with the couple entering their beach house, readying for the storm that’s brewing in the ceaseless sound-effects of waves and crashes, heard underneath the tension of the dialogue. From the moment they stepped on stage, Nicoloff and Lloyd displayed a clear contrast in body language and stance—Danielle hunching in on herself as Connor waltzes through the home, heavy footed. These blocking choices displayed Keil-Vine’s eye for detail and characterization while the simple yet gripping set, with white walls and empty picture frames, created the eerie feeling of a place of comfort, now long lost.
The flow of the dialogue between Danielle and Connor—although at the beginning overlapping and interrupting—found its rhythm within the relationship of husband and wife, allowing for what felt like a glimpse through a window into a broken relationship. Aside from the initial speed of the dialogue, the only fault I saw in the work was the confinements of its setting. The Cat’s Eye, while it allowed for a personal experience with the actors, caused problems with blocking and projection. At times when Rhiannon’s character sat on the stage, the audience was unable to see her movements or expressions due to the lack of elevation on the platform. Furthermore, specifically in the second half, it became difficult for the audience to hear the dialogue, hindering the effect of the story and the audience’s ability to delve deep into its emotions.
Minuscule obstacles aside, one of the most impressive aspects of the show was the complete set change between acts. As the audience left for a 15-minute intermission, set designer Abby Palmer’s vision of the “afterlife” came to fruition, as the set became wood based and the stage was split into three. The audience was invited to an intertwined storytelling between the young boy, heart-wrenchingly portrayed by three actors; William Dao, Connor at center stage, and Danielle at the end. The true scene stealer in this act was Jocelyn Kranyk in her portrayal of the proprietress. An embodiment of the “monster” in the ocean, Kranyk gave the life-taking water a human and empathetic element. Something must also be said for the makeup work in the show, as every character had their characterizations seemingly written on their faces, with a particular stand-out being the blackbird artistry.
The emotional journey that was the show left the audience deep in awe, especially due to the imagery of its final moments. The mirroring between father and son and the broken reflection of Danielle through the eerie character of the seamstress all came together in a devastating ending. After unsent letters, unheard words, and unfinished conversations, a mother, a father, and a son, each took a breath and left us with one final, heart-wrenching sigh. Congratulations to the wonderful cast and crew and to VCDS for a show that left the audience feeling as if their hearts were hooked and engulfed by the ebbs and flows of Afterlife: A Ghost Story.
