The title is, of course a statement of fact, but it is one that, for many is a fearful mystery that inspires much of human behaviour—after all, you only live once!
Through a series of powerful and witty character vignettes, Adam Scott-Rowley explores our relationship with death and despair. Opening with Adam sat naked on the toilet, the soundtrack throbbing with dark anticipation, his contortions see him fighting his demons, while trying to hold it all together.
The fight is, of course, fruitless—the more you fight your fear, the worse it gets, and there are events in life that teach us to go towards suffering as a way of easing the experience.
Scott-Rowley’s incredible physical performance is utterly captivating, holding the audience with every pained gesture and moment of levity. Underpinning this is a fierce intelligence, that allows Adam to unravel the mythologies we build around masculinity, aging, decrepitude and perversion. He pulls away everything we have to fear about death and dying, distilling it to its physical essence—we are made of flesh and bone, which ages and breaks down until it stops. It’s the fear that restricts and disables us.
This is an entirely compelling piece, filled with humanity and compassion. Although it straddles the worlds of theatre and performance art, it is, at its heart entirely down to earth. You are going to die, but so are we all, and once you can accept that with honesty, without fear, you are free to really live.