“Adie Mueller’s ‘Another Goodbye’ is a tender-hearted testament to theatre’s cathartic abilities”
Despite being our single most unifying experience, today’s western culture has become decidedly obstinate against talking about death. It is rare that we are afforded a space so inviting through which the emotions many of us carry constantly can be unleashed. Mueller welcomes us with an abundance of comfort and care, providing blankets, tissues and tea served in a variety of mismatched mugs that are sure to evoke instant nostalgia. Whether entering the auditorium full of apprehension or longing to sit in remembrance and grief undistracted, ‘Another Goodbye’ gently transports us away from the rush of the everyday into what feels like an almost spiritual realm of reverence for the inevitable.
There is a hugely satisfying directness to Mueller’s performance style, recounting the death of her mother and the anticipatory grief of hospice care with appropriate frankness. Her dialogue feels precise and honest, her presence on stage effortless and enchanting. The stage is relatively pared back, dressed with two multipurpose sheets and a few small set pieces. Likewise, Armin Lorenz Gerold’s sound design acts as an enhancing, atmospheric underscore to Mueller’s engaging voice. For a play about dying, Mueller brings surprising vitality to the space, enclosing herself in a circle of treestumps and using projections to showcase the lively smiles of her mother; her childhood home; the trees of the German countryside where she grew up. This aligning of death with nature was a beautifully executed feature of the show, framing a devastating event through a lens of acceptance and necessity. It wasn’t over emphasised or overindulged, but subtly communicated through skilful performance choices that allowed a consoling realisation to slowly unfold. The versatile, considered writing led us through a reconciliation with shocking, devastating loss, only after which we can reclaim the ever-present, worldly essence of our loved ones despite the detachment from their physical existence.
The performance is punctuated by introspective meditative moments, asking us to relish the present through various sensory exercises. Not only did these incisions make the onset of powerful emotion more palatable, but served to form a tangible sense of connection and appreciation amongst the audience. I was interested to learn from the show’s director, Anne Langford, that these incisions had originally been part of an audio-recording, the medium through which ‘Another Goodbye’ had its first life amidst the backdrop of lockdown, somewhat altering their purpose – they were a means of connecting physically with audiences despite several barriers. I wonder if, in the transition from this to stage, there was perhaps room to maximise the already emerging propensity for these moments to become a more intentionally constructed meditative journey, potentially working alongside psychologists to encourage a mindful emotional navigation of the play’s themes. This is not to detract from the sensitivity with which the show is presented- its ability to straddle both performance and therapy is absolutely an asset, however it could have been pushed even further.
The partnership between ‘Another Goodbye’ and the Cambridge Arthur Rank Hospice was a thoughtful, touching addition, offering a 45 minute discussion after the show. This felt like a much needed buffer between the raw world Mueller invites us into and stepping back out into the everyday, only serving to emphasise the extreme need for spaces where grief and death are not taboo. Hearing the experiences of other audience members greatly enriched the evening, and widened empathy for grievances that occurred in different circumstances to Mueller’s. Impressively, every audience member felt seen, held and comforted by Mueller’s story, despite each having unique and largely varied encounters with grief, a real testament to the show’s universal relatability and compassion.
Having never visited the venue before, I was charmed by the intimate nature of the Cambridge Junction’s black box studio, a perfect location for Mueller’s moving piece. What impressed me even more was how both Mueller and Langford maximised the audience engagement this space offered them, taking great care to converse with audience members and open conversations. Having such close interaction with the artist is a rarity I greatly enjoyed, a real merit of regional theatre.
‘Another Goodbye’ is hugely successful in maximising theatre’s ability to unify communities and honour emotions in a safe yet uninhibited environment. Although Mueller does not shy away from the fact that we can never be fully prepared for an encounter with the death of a loved one, shows like this are immensely helpful in processing that overwhelming emotional space. It will undeniably provoke conversation around loss, grief, death and hospice care, yet equips audiences with a humble yet steady hope before doing so. Mueller is a masterful writer and stirring performer whose work I am thoroughly grateful to have encountered- I am certain all who experience this affirming, empathetic piece of theatre will carry it with them for a long time to come.