When Real Life Begins

Martin Denton, founder of NYTheatre.com made this play his “Top Recommendation of the Week,” saying:

“When Real Life Begins is an extraordinary solo play about passion, love, and theatre. … a single, long, breathless strand of stream-of-consciousness, moving backward and forward through time and in and out of Anne’s mind and memory.
“There are two stories in When Real Life Begins, inextricably linked but oppositely arced. One is tragic: the death…from cancer of Sam, an actor and artistic director of a small off-off Broadway company…recounted by Anne, his widow and partner, a woman whose sorrow and loss are finally profound and unknowable. At the same time, though, Anne finds herself blossoming as a theatrical producer, assuming the reins from – and carrying the torch for – her beloved Sam. Her discovery, within herself, of a passionate, artistic visionary, is startling and uplifting. Anne’s journeys – the one characterized by…bouts with despair and exhaustion; the other by the sheer joy of creation and accomplishment – form a moving and resonate counterpoint, and make When Real Life Begins a very special play indeed. (It) packs an undeniable wallop. This is a play you won’t soon forget."