Teach Me About Dying
24 August 2024
Little Angel Theatre
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
My penultimate Camden Fringe show this year, on the last day of this lovely theatre festival, was Teach Me About Dying by MooskiTheatre, a short play tackling the mountainous topic of death and grief.
On a random Tuesday, 23 yr old Ava is confronted by her own mortality, when Death unexpectedly comes to claim her soul. Not ready to end her life so young, she bargains for just a little more time. Ava is granted a further six weeks to do all the things she’d always wanted to tick off her bucket list and say goodbye to friends and family. But how do you grapple with your own imminent death, and how do you explain it to the loved ones in your life?
This play went in a very different direction from what the blurb might suggest. It is a slow and deeply emotional exploration of the meaning of life, the importance of love, and the never ending question of what comes after. Almost a rom com revolving around the lost potential of so much love, ripped away from life too soon.
Death and Ava have hilarious and devastating discussions while neglecting the bucket list, as Ava’s ex keeps calling her, still deep in his feelings about their split relationship. As time ticks away, the mundane becomes profound while the young woman’s life trickles towards its unavoidable end. Utilizing popular media references and everyday problems, Teach Me About Dying is a gorgeous exploration of what this thing called grief is, how pointless death often seems, and that ultimately, love is the only thing that matters in life.
With limited props and very strong acting, it’s a touching and equally entertaining piece. I could absolutely see this short show extended into a full 2.5hr staging, taking more time to delve into all the subjects it only peripherally explores. The premise is fantastic and full of heart and empathy.
