What I liked
The best magicians aren’t the ones on a huge stage, making white tigers disappear. The best are the closeup magicians, who perform small miracles while sitting mere inches from you. Annie is such a magician. Her performance is wonderful. Every emotion is believable—her smiles are real, her eyes convey sadness without ever crying false tears. She shares her story as if she was telling it for the first time.
What I didn't like
To be honest, I can’t think of anything. Maybe, there was no milk for the coffee? But then, it was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed drinking it black. One damn fine cup of coffee.
My overall impression
“Death and Coffee” is actually about life. It’s about finding the truths of the people we know. Some very close to us, like friends and family. Some who are strangers, extras in our personal stories. The play asks us to be open to the possibility that what we perceive to be the motives, agendas and emotions that others have could be mistaken. And our misconceptions could be robbing us of more honest and richer relationships. That all this is accomplished in such a simple, seemingly straightforward production, with only one (very gifted) playwright/actor, is truly amazing.
