Age is a Feeling @ Summerhall: Anatomy Theatre (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022) Review

Birthdays are a time of celebration, a time to celebrate an increased sense of wisdom and life experience. They’re a natural occasion to possibly look back at what has gone before – evaluating decisions made and contemplating scenarios experienced and whether they’ve positively, negatively, or both impacted the now. An exploration of age and the passing of time, writer and performer Haley McGee presents Age is a Feeling, produced by Soho Theatre.

Surrounded by an ornate twelve point floral arrangement with postcards attached to each one, and a white lifeguard-esque chair placed at the arrangement’s centre, McGee begins by taking off a number of postcards at a time and approaching members of the audience who are tasked with choosing a card and reading out loud the word written on it. The words chosen included within the show and delved into further, the ones left behind crossed out and very briefly referred to – the literal crossing out of words a subtle nod to possibilities that are no more, and how we’re always at the brink of alternate avenues opening up but very quickly closing, to the point we forget them. This convention happens throughout the show, highlighting McGee’s trust and fearlessness in terms of how the show will end up, there’s an element of freedom narrative-wise, we unsure as to how it’ll end but one that keeps the piece captivating.

Age is a Feeling starts life at the age of 25, and takes a speculative look forward at how life will play out, McGee’s stream of consciousness pondering the ageing process throughout the decades, dating, the prospect of starting a family, the realities of friends battling mental health issues and life threatening illnesses and the passing of loved ones – the one woman show a philosophical experience, one questioning the concept of age, and what life means to us all. A thought provoking hour that has us look back at what has made us, makes us think about the now, but also look ahead and consider what could be.

Written by Lucy Basaba.

Age is a Feeling will show from Tuesday 16th until Sunday 21st/Tuesday 23rd until Sunday 28th August 2022 at Summerhall – Anatomy Lecture Theatre. To find out more about the production, visit here…