Age is a Feeling is the story of one person’s life from their 25th birthday until the end: exploring the glorious and melancholy unknowability of human life, the joys and tragedies of getting older, and the sides of people we never get to know. Every performance, the audience chooses to hear six of twelve stories, dipping in and out of one person’s lifespan as it unfolds across the show. Depending on the audience’s choices, there are 180 different potential versions to be heard with different combinations of stories. The six remaining unheard stories are left untouched and discarded, as a poignant reminder of the things we may never know about even our closest friends. Celebrating both the light and the dark in life, McGee’s imaginative show is a covert rallying cry against succumbing to cynicism and regret. It is a call to seize our time.
This innovative and emotional show Age is a Feeling follows one person’s life from the age of 25 through to the end of their life. The audience picks which of the 12 stories on offer they want to hear, the rest remain unheard. Much like the “choose your own adventure” books that were popular a few decades ago, this allows the audience to take charge of the show and follow the different storytelling trails.
With each story that is discarded the audience finds themselves mourining the stories which have been removed. Much like the paths in our own lives that remain undiscovered and always leave us wondering ‘what if’. It also raises the question, what are the key stories that give the essence of a life?
The performance is well-paced and is at its core a perfect example of great intimate storytelling, it feels like chatting to an old friend. It’s well acted by writer Haley Mcgee and truly engaging. It has moments that make you laugh and moments that really pull at the heartstrings, at least in the stories chosen on the night I saw the show, your experience could change depending on which stories are chosen.
