In Daniel Keene’s play “Life Without Me”, the lives of a group of seven motley characters converge in the lobby of a most unusual hotel. Each of them occupying lives which have have become destructively monotonous. 

As the plot and characters elucidate themselves, we encounter the following; a couple whose partnership has grown stagnant, a linen salesman who has lost his passion for linens, a man who wants to leave the city but is finding it impossible to escape, an entirely absurd and apathetic bell boy who cannot recall the last time he left his hotel, and his mother who often forgets that her beloved husband has passed away. 

None of these characters sought out this run-down hotel, each found themselves there by some some accidental turn of events, or trick of fate, or pull of the supernatural. As hard as they try, these characters are perpetually led  back to the hotel until… well, you’ll see. 

“Life Without Me” is a philosophical contemplation on how to live when life gets monotonous and needs a bit of a shake-up. At least, that’s what I got from it.  While the plot is easily absorbable, much of it takes a bit of extra mulling over in order to fully glean it’s message which happens to be exactly how I like my plots. The more I turn the story over in my brain, the more I am able to glean. 

“Life Without Me” is not merely contemplative; it displays wit and heaps of comedic moments. Along with being delighted by its hilarious profundity, I was kept in awe of the emotions which the actors and writing were able to display. At one point, I got major chills. Take that with a grain of salt though, because most displays of emotion give me chills. 

Though the stage is quite small, it is able to expertly and coherently accommodate for the multiple rooms in which the story takes place.

NUTS’ performance of “Life Without Me” is absurd, philosophical, inspiring, and hilarious. My advice is that you go see it with someone who you know will be keen to laugh and philosophise with you post-viewing. ASAP.