Review: The Undying, Old Red Lion Theatre

FreshFest 2025

As we progress through life, we will all reach the stage where our aching aging bodies make us wish we could retain our youthful energy.  With the experience of age, we may also reflect on what we could or should have done differently in our younger days.  The Undying explores both subjects, whilst considering how much we can change without losing our sense of self.

Elderly married couple, Amba (Sabina Westrup) and Prav (Akaash Dev Shemar), are celebrating his 91^st birthday with affection and bickering. Amba springs a surprise: she has purchased a bottle of TwiceLife, a miracle pill which will not only de-age your body by a set number of years, depending on the dose, but will also erase your memories for the corresponding years.  Amba is keen for them to have more time and new adventures together, but Prav unexpectedly refuses, so Amba de-ages without him. Prav relents after seeing the younger Amba making the most of her new lease of life.  Their younger relationship does not run smoothly as they clash on how to live their new lives and consider whether certain memories should be kept or erased.

Either de-aging or memory erasure alone would be enough for an engaging story, but Rea Dennhardt Patel’s writing is continually exploring additional layers, including a thoughtful discussion on the increased opportunities for women in modern society. Younger Amba immediately challenges Prav’s expectation that they remain in the traditional roles of the wife managing the home whilst the husband works, which she recognises is a holdover from their early years living in India before emigrating to Britain. The heart of the debate on whether to de-age further is the reflection that erased memories can be both painful and precious, with Amba discovering a past trauma which older Prav had forgotten.  Patel’s script clearly explains the rules of how TwiceLife works, so there are no plot holes in the concept; people lose specific memories but retain the sense of feelings.

Patel, as producer, and director Chris Yarnell bring the de-aging to life creatively, with the actors peeling off the looser dull coloured clothing of their older selves to reveal the tighter fitting, vibrantly coloured clothing more befitting their younger selves (all designed by Patel). The effect is enhanced by lighting and sound effects (designed by Yarnell) spotlighting the de-aging character as a visual representation of their senses flooding back to life. Patel’s set design also takes on a layered purpose. Behind the comfortable living room sofa and table is a framed collection of the names of cherished family members and holidays written in chalk. These names initially serve as a reminder of happy past times for the elderly couple, before providing a visual representation of the erased memories as names are rubbed out.

Both Westrup and Shemar are immediately charming, bringing to life the believable rapport of a couple who have been together for so many years; their familiarity bringing laughter and poignancy. They brilliantly embody both ages, portraying all the expected aches and slower movement of old age before joyfully jumping around to put their younger bodies to the test. It is also notable that they lose their Indian accents when they de-age, as they effectively become second generation migrants further integrating into modern society.

The Undying was developed following a committed writing and workshopping process. The result is an engrossing story which is both entertaining and thought provoking, peeling off as many layers of psychology for the characters as it does layers of age. It will be fascinating to see what new or enhanced deliberations could be added to an expanded future iteration.

Written by: Rea Dennhardt Patel
Directed by: Chris Yarnell
Produced by: Rea Dennhardt Patel
Light and sound design by: Chris Yarnell
Set and costume design by: Rea Dennhardt Patel
Technical by: Eliott Sheppard

The Undying has completed its current run at The Old Red Lion Theatre as part of Fresh Fest.