Spring 2025 Scottish Tour

Professional Reviews

North West End UK - Wendy McEwan ★★★★★
‘The play is beautifully written and invites curiosity. We hear about creativity as rebellion, the male gaze in art (“He was terrified of the freedom in my eyes, so he painted submission”), and above all, the uncomfortable truth of mortality. Estelle is no passive muse – she declares her reality through speech and movement, with her silklike gown, from Glasgow designer Macfin, flowing with her. I think I will go and see this play again, and I think you should go and see it too.’
North West End UK Review

Corr Blimey - Josie Rose ★★★★
‘innovative, unique, and inspiring… introduces us to vast and complex themes and messages unlocked in what we create. You get the sense watching this play that we are not all just communally watching but thinking, generating, and crafting art. After all, that is what theatre is for.
Corr Blimey Review

Quinntessential - W J Quinn ★★★★
Quinntessential Review
‘Superb storyteller and theatre-maker Maria MacDonell is staging a truly immersive show at this year’s Fringe. A lively, thoughtful, and touching play, and a bold attempt to do something new.’
Quinntessential Review

Edinburgh Guide - Angela Milton ★★★★
‘In MacDonell’s capable hands, Estelle is a spiky, irascible and yet vulnerable figure. It is to her credit that, despite Estelle’s foibles, we are invested in her story. MacDonell’s writing crafts a woman who has been badly treated by different people in her life and has grown a shell with gritty layers that slowly unpeel as we hear her life story, exposing the wounded woman underneath. The artist gently probes, swirling around her like the paintbrushes that have flown across myriad canvases through the years. He hears and knows what she is about to say, sometimes speaks it with her. He is a puzzle, but warm and guiding nonetheless, in a flamboyant and yet still subtle performance from Leo MacNeill. When the reason for this particular class is revealed, it is not – by then – unexpected, but it is tinged with sadness.’
Edinburgh Guide Review

The Stage Review

The Herald Review


Audience Comments & Reviews  

Extraordinary - be prepared for this to deliver questions to the bottom of your soul

LIFE is excellent - dark, playful, serious, funny, brilliantly performed and shimmering with depth. Hard to stop thinking about.

Ooooft! What a fabulous show. Funny, deeply moving, graceful and raw. 

Captivating reflections on life and aging, culminating in an unexpected twist. Sparkling throughout, Maria MacDonell delivers a mesmerizing performance in this excellent show. Plenty of food for thought and truly a must see! - Jan

An incredible performance from Maria in this intriguing, thought-provoking play! Highly recommend! - Barbara

LIFE is a beguiling trip. Themes of art, mortality, perception and the meaning of life interweave in an intoxicating blend. This chamber piece is romantic, playful, surprisingly funny in places and ultimately profoundly moving. A must see. - Mark

Everything you can imagine is real. That's theatre for you. At the end I found myself wiping away tears and using them to add depth to my drawing. - Abel Zhang

I loved the richness of the text, the juxtaposition of allegory and reality and the deft and sympathetic playing of the actors. Bravo! - Mark

Loved the poetry and being able to draw while stitching it all together. A brilliant show... 

A beautifully intricate show, a delight to be able to draw during it and to see the four audience members on stage… Fabulous performances - and something new! Thank you.

Darkly humourous with a riveting ending.

What a gorgeous show to experience. The drawing element made me watch the show in a different way. It made me feel truly part of it as well as spectating. Really brilliant show. Thank you.

Thank you. A powerful experience being witness and participant - made the play and the words even more powerful.

I feel inspired and for months I have HAD NO INSPIRATION for anything. Thank you. Extraordinary.

An incredible adventure, so complex, so nuanced, so beautiful. Let LIFE continue.

Fantastic - left feeling the overwhelming urge to hug my mum.

I was blown away by the performance. The characters were utterly real, the drama was cracking, the concept fascinating.

Very thought provoking piece that does what theatre should, remind us what it is to be human and be alive.


Fringe Audience Reviews 2025

This was an incredibly unique and engaging show with very strong performances from
both of its actors… The story was cleverly played out with a brilliant twist. An original and emotionally affecting play.
Ellie Ball - 23 Aug 2025

Hard to describe without giving too much away, but this a wonderfully thoughtful and imaginative play with many layers.
Graeme King - 19 Aug 2025

Finally made it along to LIFE and I'm so glad I did! I've never seen a piece of theatre like it - and really, 'seen' feels like the wrong word, because we didn't just watch but fully participated. I loved the invitation to sketch throughout the show. The concept is fascinating and inherently engages the audience not just as passive viewers but as creators and artists themselves. This is a meal of a show, tackling huge ideas including mortality, the muse/artist relationship, sexism, and beauty. Would highly recommend!
Katie Ailes - 18 Aug 2025

There came a point in the play when I knew I needed to watch again from the beginning.
Excellent, comical, poignant and deeply philosophical.
Virginia Aspinwall - 16 Aug 2025

We wore the dress, we felt the music, we were mesmerised by the script, the relationship between the characters. A marvelous performance from writer actress Maria MacDonnel and definitely worth seeing.
Bebe Geen - 16 Aug 2025

If you only see one thing see this.
Louise Ramsay - 16 Aug 2025