Last Life

In a borderless, burnt-out world the few remaining inhabitants are at the end of a long, indefinable war. The survivors, seeking revenge, vow to destroy each other and wrest control of what remains. Last Life is the new fightsical from playwright Eric Sanders, director Timothy Haskell (Road House: The Stage Play, Nightmare Haunted House, The Jaded Assassin) and fight director Rod Kinter, starring Taimak (of the legendary fight film The Last Dragon). 

Details

Written and Co-Created by Eric Sanders
Directed and Co-Created by Timothy Haskell
Fight Directed by Rod Kinter
With Taimak Guarriello, Aaron Haskell, Soomi Kim, Jo-anne Lee, Maggie Macdonald, and Alyxx Wilson
More photosStage Manager: Michelle Kelleher
Set Design by Paul Smithyman
Lighting Design by Garin Marschall
Costume Design by Candice Thompson
Sound Design by Ariella Goldstein
Projection Design by Gino Barzizza

History

Presented by Soho Think Tank in association with Big Time Action Theatre at the Ohio Theatre
March 4 - March 14, 2010

Presented by The Brick Theater, Inc. in association with Art Meets Commerce and Big Time Action Theatre at The Brick Theater
December 4, 2009 - January 9, 2010

Press

The Happiest Medium interview with director Timothy Haskell.
nytheatre.com interview with playwright Eric Sanders.
24/7 interview with Timothy Haskell.
Village Voice preview of Fight Fest.
Flavorpill preview of Fight Fest.
CultureMob preview of Fight Fest.
Columbia Daily Spectator feature on Fight Fest.
Pink Raygun preview of Fight Fest.
Papermag preview of Fight Fest.

Reviews

"[A] fierce and beautiful production... epic displays of stage combat... each fight is filled with humor and story, a crude language that speaks of an elevated attention to the animal-like ferocity inside us all... the precision of performances and the exhaustingly effortless physical commitment from the actors elevated violence out of the messy bruhaha into an art that can stand on its own... Last Life is an exciting play that gives us the candy we crave, paired with a truly skilled theatrical artifice. It plunges deeply in to the grotesque, into unrelenting violence and gore that churns the stomach, both physically and through the language it employs... Last Life also poses a delightfully thoughtful response to art-making in our multi-media saturated age: commenting on pop culture while using the most satisfying elements of the genre, yet still successfully distancing itself and reaffirming theatre’s validity as a cultural entity of its own."
- Rachel Cole, InDigest Magazine

"The self-proclaimed 'fightsical' Last Life (which premieres as part of the Brick Theater's current Fight Fest series) is a violent, post-apocalyptic tale of the quest for revenge following a cataclysmic loss. Co-created by director Timothy Haskell and playwright Eric Sanders, this collaborative effort plays intriguingly with form and structure and offers numerous visceral thrills... Rod Kinter's brutal though realistic fight choreography shines throughout the evening, and the ensemble executes the combat sequences with technical aplomb."
- Pete Boisvery, nytheatre.com

"Last Life is unlike any show I’ve ever seen... [with] exciting, balletic and heart-stoppingly choreographed fights. They slap, tug, pull, drag, trip each other, spin, lunge forward, swing wide, grunt and sweat. They use fists, legs, ropes and – in one fearsome scene – knives... the ensemble does an amazing job, not just with the fight routines, but with truly pulling you into this world co-conceived by Eric Sanders and Timothy Haskell and Rod Kinter... You’ll never see theatre combat the same again... Make sure to get to one of the last 2 performances of this outrageous, strange, wonderful show!"
- Karen Tortora-Lee, The Happiest Medium

"The world has ended. Sounds like reason enough for a fight... boasts some of the strongest, most convincing fight sequences of the festival... they have a gritty realism... In fact, it is quite dark and pessimistic in its vision of humanity... Fight Fest is all about fighting, which is indeed quite impressive in Last [Life]."
- J.B., J.B. Spins

"In a washed-out end-of-days, there are people hiding in the woods. They are a violent breed, periodically biting off each other’s appendages, stabbing, kicking, and slicing their way to supremacy... edgy... The fighting is top-notch... a collection of gritty, dirty street-fights, with lots of blood, some bits of brains, and a couple of ears. The danger is there, the fear is there..."
- Katelyn Manfre, Time Out New York Online

"Last Life is an R-rated thrill... like watching "Kill Bill," only live... [with] thrilling, action-packed, frighteningly real vignettes... As bodies transition from sitting to flying through the air, rolling on the floor, and brandishing knives in no time, I am impressed not only by the intricacy of the action, but by the athleticism of the performers themselves. This is a brand of choreography that allows absolutely no margin of error."
- Meghan Frederick, iDANZ Critix Corner

"Last Life showcased the most technical prowess, with one of its dark scenes ending in a devastating maneuver known only to UFC champions."
- The Apiary

"...viscerally exciting and technically impressive... the show hasn’t dubbed itself a 'fightsical' for nothing... Tim Haskell’s direction adds great additional vitality thanks to a striking meta-theatrical presentation: for much of the play, the actors are seated facing the audience while delivering their lines to each other. Even cooler is a conceit that regularly has the actors freeze mid-fight while an effects guy applies stage blood."
- Patrick Lee, Just Shows to Go You

"Last Life is structured around the maxim that 'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'... The best part about the script was the dialogue, which is very earthy and gritty. Some of it may be deemed offensive, and it (and the entire play, for that matter) is definitely not for the faint of heart. Writer Eric Sanders brings an almost movie-like quality to the script, making the words fluid and salty with his 'Tarantino like' comedic words."
-Douglas Ferguson, Kung Fu Magazine