Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...The central character happens to be a teenager, but anyone who has suffered the loss of a close family member will recognize the anguish of young Alice in “Life After,” the very intense musical at the Goodman Theatre with book, music and lyrics by an immensely talented new compositional voice, a 31-year-old Canadian named Britta Johnson."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Every family is messy, but the family in “Life After” is messy in a way that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has lost a loved one when unfinished business still defined their relationship."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"..."Life After" is an exquisite show with a lyrical, impressionistic score that recalls Stephen Sondheim's sophistication, as well as his wit. Discerningly staged by Annie Tippe, it's an emotionally satisfying work that convincingly depicts loss and grief (as evidenced by the audience's hitched breaths and teary eyes)."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Maybe it's a sign of our times that musicals about the aftermath of loss and grief have become so prominent in 21st-century life, from Next to Normal to Dear Evan Hansen. But while both those shows relied on plot devices that hinged on audience misdirection in the case of the former (the better to illustrate the mental disintegration of the mother at the center of the story) and a pretty disquieting Big Lie in the case of the latter, Britta Johnson's Life After is going for something much less complicated, and yet also more profound. Judging by Annie Tippe's admirably heartfelt production at the Goodman, this first-time musical largely succeeds at its simple aims."
TheatreMania - Highly Recommended
"...Several very successful musicals in the last decade have featured adolescents dealing with death in one way or another. Fun Home and Dear Evan Hansen readily come to mind, and now are joined by Life After in that particular (and perhaps peculiar) subset of shows. Life After, now running at the Goodman Theatre, has not yet been seen in New York, but this new production could make the jump, featuring a nearly all-Big Apple cast and company in a Broadway-size staging."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended
"...Handling grief at any age can be traumatic, but when you are young and naive to the process and how life can change at any moment, it can affect you forever. Life After powerful production at Goodman Theater narrating how a 16-year-old girl named Alice faces grief after losing her father, will invoke impactful and profound emotional introspections of delight and despair within those who have lost or are losing a loved one. The central character is Alice (Samantha Williams), whose well-known father, Frank Carter (Paul Alexander Nolan), famously authored self-help books. Frank, who is never home, surprises Alice by coming home for her birthday; however, they have an argument when he wants her to change her plans to spend a few hours with him."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Often people hear the term "Chamber Musical" and wonder what is that? Chamber music itself is a group of 6-8 musicians, each playing a part of the music that tells a story. A chamber musical is a small cast of players where each voice ( instead of instrument) helps to convey the story to the audience. The long awaited "Life After" written by Britta Johnson and directed by Annie Tippe is such a vehicle. There are nine highly talented performers bringing this story to life in song and word."
WTTW - Somewhat Recommended
"...But the Goodman production, directed by Annie Tippe, is so high-pitched and consistently shrill that the potentially moving story at its core is often undermined. It is unrelentingly loud to the point where a numbing effect sets in. And while the show’s seven-piece orchestra, led by music director and keyboardist Chris Kong, also has a powerful “voice” (with orchestrations by Lynne Shankel) it, too, is relentlessly loud."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Overall, this musical is worth going to see. There was not a moment where I found myself looking away from the stage; I was always excited to see what would happen next. If you are into self-help literature, this might be a performance to get your gears turning. You will have to go view, and see what your perception is of Life After you leave the theater."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Director Annie Tippe impressively orchestrates this show with top-notch talent. The entire ensemble is terrific. Lucy Panush (Hannah) delights as Alice’s quirky friend. The commanding Bryonha Marie Parham (Beth) has a cool facade of one liners with hints of vulnerabilities percolating below the surface. And Skyler Volpe (Kate) plays snarky, vegan older sister perfectly. All the personalities are enhanced by Sarafina Bush’s eclectic and fun wardrobe choices."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Like Fun Home, that other daughter/dead father musical, Life After explores how oddly non-relieving it can feel that the unexpected death of a loved one may not have been one's fault. It instead feels like a violation of cause and effect, but to pursue cause where it may or may not exist is to stare down a rabbit hole. Alice, a debate champion both in and out of school, believes she's equipped to stare down that rabbit hole. But what if it stares back?"
Third Coast Review - Not Recommended
"...The Goodman Theatre’s production of Toronto playwright Britta Johnson’s freshman musical Life After starts promisingly, with an absolutely spectacular set and a lively cast. But it soon becomes apparent that the show—which revolves around the grief experienced by Alice, (Samantha Williams), a 16-year-old girl dealing with the death of her mostly absent father—has a similar absence at the center of the production itself: namely, a compelling story."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Johnson’s musical, which is still undergoing the evolutionary process that all musicals undergo as creators figure out what does and doesn’t work, is at this point realized in moments that are sometimes powerful, sometimes humorous, sometimes clearly actual memory, and sometimes Alice’s emotion-clouded memory, with a score that wraps around itself in little motifs that connect to specific moments and characters as those memories randomly flood her mind. Director Annie Tippe doesn’t even try to keep real and warped memories distinct because Alice herself is struggling with what she knows and thinks she knows, and the result is a constantly recycled montage of moments and motifs that blur and blend together to create the ongoing mystery of exactly what happened."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...After Life is a satisfying choice for those who have lost or may lose someone precious without perfecting their last moments together. That, of course, means all of us."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...There are only a few days left to attend The Goodman Theater’s world premiere of the new musical, Life After! This is a production you do not want to miss before it heads to Broadway!"
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...Britta Johnson's LIFE AFTER is a deeply moving and creative new musical that beautifully probes the complexities of grief and the accompanying anxiety and unanswered questions it brings in its wake. This is a profoundly emotional, but also at times surprisingly humorous, musical that sonically takes inspiration from contemporary shows that came before it but has a personality all its own. Under the direction of Annie Tippe, Goodman Theatre's ensemble brings the story of 16-year-old Alice, who mourns the sudden loss of her father, to life in a visceral and touching production."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The brilliance of "Life After," the musical about the family and circle of a self-help guru, manifests from so many directions that the show sweeps one magically, whimsically, sometimes tragically, in a wonder-ride that seems to fit all of life on stage. It's a moving show, but I don't ever recall a show moving so many ways-dramatically, musically, visually, verbally, emotionally, intellectually, temporally-and certainly not at the accelerated pace of "Life After.""
