Berkshire on Stage

Creative License’s current production at Cohoes Music Hall calls itself a ghost story. In a sense it is; but Afterlife is about those psychological ghosts that haunt people from the inside: grief and regret, to name just two. The first act revolves around married couple Connor and Danielle and their return home after a life-altering tragedy. As Connor and Danielle try to prepare their house for an impending storm, their home is “haunted” by painful memories and each one’s struggle to cope. The second act takes place after the storm, and it is hard to describe the second act beyond that, except to say that while the first act is a grounded and realistic story of different people coping with loss, the second act is a strange and metaphysical narrative about letting go, or the inability and unwillingness to do so. These two acts undoubtedly tell a story, but they are so different in tone that it is a little hard to accept them as two parts of the same play.

Fortunately, Afterlife has an exceptionally talented cast that brings the audience along on this eclectic journey. Ian LaChance and Angelique Powell, playing Connor and Danielle respectively, are both excellent. As they fight with each other and with themselves, their grief and unspoken pain is palpable. At many points during the first act I was so engrossed in their story that I felt physically tense as I watched their tension on stage. LaChance is especially gifted with those subtle mannerisms and moments that make the play feel real. Early in the play, as the couple first enter their home after a time away, his meticulous miming of opening each individual window is enough to convince the audience that they are looking into a real, three-dimensional home with walls on all four sides. In the second act, LaChance and Powell are joined by a handful of other characters as the play goes from realistic to mystical. David Quiñones, in particular, sells the esoteric second act as The Postman and a Black Bird; had it not been for Quiñones’s exceptional talent in setting the tone of the second act, I don’t think I would have bought into Act 2’s tonal shift like I did. Sara Paupini as The Proprietress and Rhiannon Antico as The Seamstress are likewise convincing as their strange and deeply allegorical characters. Luke Gaurdreau’s depiction of the Young Man shows impressive emotional depth for an actor his age; although his poor enunciation is distracting at times.

As much as the cast of this show is impressive enough to carry the show without much help from the technical elements, the set design by Casey Polomaine is also excellent. The set for the first act looks very much like a simple and elegantly decorated beach house; there is a cozy-looking couch with matching throw pillows on one side and a small country-chic table on the other. As the play’s tone shifts, so too does the stage for Act 2. I am truly impressed by Polomaine’s ability to create sets that use very similar furniture and decor, but fit the very different vibes for act one and act two. Of course, Abby Rose’s expert lighting design was also instrumental in creating environments of each act as well.

Afterlife makes use of some dramatic visual and sound effects as well, though these are done with more mixed success. The play opens with dramatic music and some visually arresting projection effects that set the tone of the play immediately. Throughout the play, sound effects, music, and projections are used with great effect, especially at the end of Act 1. However, in parts of the play when the audience’s attention is supposed to be on the actors, the name of the scene is projected in the background in what is at best only slightly distracting. This production would have done better to leave the scene titles to the audience’s imagination.

All in all, Afterlife is a provocative play that will take audiences on an emotional and strange journey; as long as those audiences are ready to journey through real-life grief and the metaphysical spiritual implications of that grief. I recommend this show to versatile theatergoers with wide-ranging tastes, as those who are looking for a more straightforward play may lose the plot (figuratively and literally) in the second act. But for those who are ready for a theatrical experience that offers a little bit of realism, a little bit of mysticism, and a LOT of local talent, Afterlife will thrill and delight! 

Creative License presents Afterlife: A Ghost Story by Steven Yockey, directed by Aaron Holbritter & Casey Polomaine, runs from March 8-17, 2024, at the Cohoes Music Hall, 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, NY. Cast: Angelique Powell as Danielle, Ian LaChance as Connor, Luke Gaudreau as Young Man, David Quiñones, Jr. as The Postman/The Black Bird, Sara Paupini as The Proprietress, and Rhiannon Antico as The Seamstress. Lighting design by Abby Rose. Puppet design and fabrication by Matt Sorensen. Set design by Casey Polomaine. Set construction by Larissa Groesbeck. Sound and video design by Aaron Holbritter. 

Performance dates are Friday-Sunday. Friday, and Saturday curtains are at 7:30pm and Sundays are matinees only at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $20-25 for adults and $18 for students 18 and under. Runs approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission. Contains themes of death and loss of children. Recommended for ages 13+. Tickets are available online at https://www.thecohoesmusichall.org/events/afterlife-a-ghost-story, by phone at 518-434-0776, or at the door for any performance.