The Story of My Life is actually anything but one story. It is chapters and pages and papers and memories, all woven into a chilling but lyrical score.

The musical, composed by Neil Bartram, with the book by Brian Hill, reflects on the entwined lives of two childhood best friends -Alvin and Thomas - from the birth of their friendship in the first grade, to the tragic and sudden funeral of Alvin, at age thirty-five. It deals with themes of grief, growing up, moving on, and the everlasting cultural and emotional impact of the 1946 Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life.

“This proves to be a lesson about the impact, strength, and vocal endurance of two very talented actors.”

Alvin (Wilf Offard) Thomas (Tel Chiuri) are the only two characters in the musical, and while that might seem at first glance like a hindrance to a narrative that aims to encompass a lifetime -especially for 90-minutes - in reality, this proves to be a lesson about the impact, strength, and vocal endurance of two very talented actors.

In Amy Oh and Hugo Gregg’s adaptation of Bartram and Hill’s work, it is obvious that they knew exactly what story they wanted to tell, and the Clare Chapel was absolutely the right place to execute such a vision. In fact, their concept only had to be minimalist, or rather, in thoughtful dialogue with the Chapel at large, in order for the entire production to feel illuminated by its heavenly implications.

When Chiuri first takes the stage, behind a podium, it quickly becomes evident that we, the audience, seated on chapel benches, are not at the theatre, but attendees of Alvin’s funeral. And that Thomas faces the critical moment of giving Alvin’s eulogy--to tell Alvin’s story-- despite his writer’s block, to honour a promise they made when they were just boys together. The musical maintains this ambience of (almost) immersive theatre, without ever feeling cheap or preachy. Instead, when Alvin appears as an angel, the stage mirrors the mural behind the actors of the archangel Gabriel’s visit to Mary.

“The audience, seated on chapel benches, are not at the theatre, but attendees of Alvin’s funeral”

In turn, Oh and Gregg have also managed to use the playing space within the chapel to double as the bounds of Thomas’ mind. Stories are hung on wooden clips along the pews, and Alvin, now only a figment of Thomas’ memory, is bouncing around from wall to wall, dancing all over the floor, and joyously making snow angels. The cohesion of Offard and Chiuri’s black and white suits with the black and white tiled floor was a beautiful scenic dimension that only added to the evidence that this musical and this space were meant to be matched together.

Both Offard and Chiuri do justice to their portrayals of their characters, and should be commended for filling the space with such lively energy and beautiful music. Even though the production is just the two of them, the audience is so quickly immersed in both Alvin and Thomas’ difficult but cherishable friendship, that it feels as though you’ve also met every other character in their lives. In all of its bittersweetness, Bartram and Hill’s musical is a great testimony to the difficulties and guilt of growing up and growing apart - but is also a much needed reminder about compassion and the roles that we all play in each other’s stories.