[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Love on the Other Side of Death II: Meet The Rook, written and performed by Mary Guillermin, developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024.
Yes, this is a play about death, but it is much more about celebration of life and a reminder of how important it is to open yourself up to possibilities of love and connection, sometimes found in the unlikeliest places. A few years ago, Mary met a young man. He had arrived at her house as an Airbnb guest and quickly became a friend. But within a few weeks, their friendship had grown more intense. This young man profoundly changed Mary’s life, to the point where she actually legally adopted him as her son at the ripe old age of 35. Does this make her nuts? Maybe a little. But only in the sense that she followed her heart, believed her instincts and recognized truth when she found it.
Mary has no other children and, although she leads a rich and fulfilling life as an artist and a family therapist in idyllic Topanga Canyon, meeting Michael made her realize that she had been waiting to be his mother all her life.
This profound connection was mutual. Michael felt as sure about her as she did of him and their life together had really just begun when something tragic happened. Michael died suddenly of heart failure and he was gone from her life almost as quickly as he had arrived. But he had left something of himself with her. Love.
I believe that we return to the souls we love over and over again, life after life. Sometimes they are sisters and brothers, sometimes parents, sometimes lovers, sometimes perhaps they are beloved animals. But the deepness of our love pulls them towards us like a lightening rod. Mary’s brief time with her son Michael was a pivotal moment in her life. And although she grieves for him every minute, she wouldn’t change the fact that they met and loved each other.
This beautiful and deeply personal play about Micheal and Mary is the closest thing to grief therapy I have seen on stage. I have lost both my parents and still haven’t recovered, not sure I ever will. But I don’t think we are supposed to. It will feel less painful, but grief is a natural feeling for the loss of love. This play and Mary’s outpouring of her and Michael’s love is a gift. It is utterly magical. Mary uses audio of Michael own voice talking about their relationship and as we listen to him we see photos of them both displayed behind her and watch Mary quietly sitting on stage listening to him talk about her and about their family together. She is so proud of him, so glad to have had him if only for a moment. Feeling him around her still, showing her signs that he is beyond pain and content hardly feels mysterious. It feels true.
This is an astonishing and deeply moving piece. Mary has taken her heartbreak and created something meaningful, worthwhile and important. Her words and Micheal’s combine to form a gently healing artful play and I can only hope it brings her some peace in her journey. I know it brought peace to mine.
Solo shows are created for so many reasons. To share pain. To share laughs, to share heartache. Mary’s play Love on The Other Side of Death was created as a form of healing, a way to understand what had happened and why. The end result is a gorgeous poignant reminder that love never truly dies as long as we remember and celebrate the time we have together.
Bravo to Mary for making a beautiful play about her beloved son Micheal and for finding a way to heal herself a little while helping to heal others.