Pearly Gates, Calum Macleod and Archie Williams’ fresh piece of student writing, ironically addresses the topics of death and divine punishment with a zest of life. Will, who finds himself in the foyer for divine punishment, is caught between the possibility of two disastrous fates; eternal hell, or worse still, reincarnation as a dung beetle, an STI or a lab rat. He must contend with disillusioned angelic officials and the celestial bureaucracy to secure his fate in eternity – but will he succeed?

Lara Cosmetatos’ set design hit the nail on the head. The worn decor of what resembles the lobby of a 70s office block sets the perfect scene to capture the irony of purgatorial mundanity. This, along with the soft pink lighting, humorously simplistic costume, and the sound choices for scene changes gives the piece a sitcom feel. Macleod and Williams’ punchy script and clever satire further builds on this. It created a lively and unpredictable world, through which the cast moved with an apt pace.

"Macleod and Williams’ punchy script and clever satire created a lively and unpredictable world"

Some characters fit seamlessly into this heavenly fantasy. Joseph Folley’s presence as a sex-and-pizza obsessed Dante was particularly strong, as was Sophie Braun’s portrayal of a disillusioned receptionist. Both actors were grounded and confident in their characters, which resonated well with the audience. Liam Shinar’s energy and effective use of pace and pitch was also a success. But Rory Russell stood out overall; his multi-role was dazzling, and despite its brevity, his portrayal of Patricia was easily the highlight of the show.

Despite these substantial individual performances, some characterisation was inconsistent. Anna Trowby, who played the lead, maintained energy throughout, but seemed unsure of her character, which the audience could sense in her movements and vocalisation. I had trouble understanding the different dimensions to Will, and felt that the script could have done more to consolidate this character.

In many scenes, the comedy missed the mark. Certain jokes were effective at first, but quickly became repetitive, rather than gradually developing, which seemed to be the fault of both the script and delivery. It’s also possible that these problems were brought about by proxemics; apart from a few exceptions, the way in which characters moved about the stage and bounced off each other felt clumsy and awkward. However, there were numerous strong comedic moments of political satire and witty one-liners that occasionally burst through.

Pearly Gates is a plucky and bright piece that, despite being a little rough around the edges, is an uplifting watch. Although, humour and characterisation occasionally falling short, the script injects it with an energy that leaves the audience engaged from start to finish. The bizarre celestial world which the cast and crew have created leads us to question our preconceptions about death and eternity, as it seems that the afterlife can be as imperfect and ridiculous as the real world.