Review: Not Your Life, Etcetera Theatre

As a first production for Underground Theatre, Not Your Life is quite a strong start. The play focuses on Jacob’s return from war, where he finds that the life he thought he was meant to have – success, a home, a wife – is being lived by his best friend. The story of the soldier changed by war, returning to an altered environment, is familiar to most, but Not Your Life takes it in a different and interesting direction: the best friend is not friendly, the love of his life does not want him back, and the soldier isn’t as honourable as he should be.

The standout themes in this play are those of betrayal and replacement, which are made very clear throughout, and need to be convincing for it to work. Jacob (Yalim Danişman) feels as though he has been replaced by Aaron (Riain Cash), his best friend. Aaron leads a life shaped by Jacob’s father, as a successful sportsman, a son, and a husband. It is questionable, though, whether it would really have been Jacob’s life had he stayed. The play reminds the audience constantly that Jacob did not have a good relationship with his father; that he resented the control over his life. It’s then a probability he would not have followed in his father’s footsteps when given the freedom to choose. And Aaron’s life is not what Jacob would have wanted anyway, so why is he so insistent that it is his? This contradiction reveals a deeper problem in Jacob’s psyche and the relationships around him. It’s one that probably predates his departure, and it is here that the play drops the ball by not exploring it further, merely glancing over it at a surface level. 

The intricacies of the dynamic between these two men with Lisa, played by Lucy Clifton, (Aaron’s wife and Jacob’s lover) and Dave (Jacob’s recently deceased father and Aaron’s mentor) are revealed slowly. This does wonders for building up the tension, developing realistic and grounded characters before resulting in an unforgettable climax. However, the slow reveal causes key details about the setting and background to be left vague until halfway through the story, making it initially hard to become fully immersed in the story. 

The cast is the definite standout of the play. Cash’s Aaron initially comes off as an extremely unlikeable man, but slowly discloses the feelings of inadequacy and entitlement that drive his character forward. Clifton, as Lisa, perfectly portrays a woman caught between passion and responsibilities, between needs and wants. Danişman, playing Jacob, slowly reveals his character’s insecurities and instabilities through his tone, which goes rapidly from soft to violent; facial expressions of lingering trauma and pain; and gestures of suppressed violence. While at times a little confusing, Not Your Life is an interesting and intense take on a war narrative that makes you question what really belongs to whom. I expected to see a narrative in which Jacob would reclaim what was unquestionably his, but instead, I was left wondering whether anything of what he claimed belonged to him, other than the house, actually did.

Created by Yalim Danişman and Ege Kucucuk
Produced by Underground Theatre

Not Your Life runs at the Etcetera Theatre until Thursday 15 May.