Elsinore’s ‘The Lifespan Of A Fact’ Dissects Fact From Truth

The Lifespan of a Fact is a great debate about the lines between fact, fiction, and storytelling. I just wish that I was slightly more enraptured.

I am an exaggerator. When I’m telling a story, we all know that there weren’t 100 cars in line in front of me and that it didn’t take me fifty years to get to where I was planning to be. I say it, but we all know that it isn’t true. I do it because amplifying the story in this way builds the experience for my audience. We all know it isn’t true, but it doesn’t matter.

The Lifespan of a Fact is the story of a recent college graduate, Jim, who is charged with fact-checking an article submitted to a publication by a popular author. The author, John, claims that it is an essay (never call it an article), and the editor of the publication knows that this will be much more complicated than it looks. The author builds a story with his essays, so the specifics listed may or may not exactly be fact. The essay, about a local suicide, is set to be published on Monday, and with time working against him, Jim must figure out exactly what happened so that the publication doesn’t get sued for misrepresentation.

This play presents a thought-provoking premise. How much of a story can you take liberty with and still have it be true? If the bricks were brown instead of red, doesn’t it matter since red is so much more vibrant in conveying the texture of the surroundings? Does it matter if a restaurant was open or closed when an event happened? How many other suicides really took place on the same day and how? Where is the line?

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this production. The actors (Thomas Neumann, Jamie Ewing, and Lori Rohr) were a cohesive ensemble who carried their parts well. The set was a 1970s home, painted in pink with dated furnishings, complete with music of that era playing before the show began. The lighting technicians did an excellent job of making the audience aware of the time of day, as day became night and back again, along with a few spotlight moments.

I absolutely loved the projection effects. As texting was fairly frequent as part of the production, visuals of the texts would appear on the walls. You could see the texts erasing, being created, and being sent, which was incredibly engaging. There was also a stellar moment during the climax where the entire set became clouds and then Las Vegas, which was beautiful and immersive.

There were a few times during the production that included some extra physicality – pushing, shoving, choking, etc. And while the actors performed the moments well, they felt over the top. Maybe if there had been one event, it would have stood out as someone having reached the pinnacle of frustration, but with multiple moments, I started to wonder if we had major anger issues to deal with. If it had fit the character in total, that would have been one thing, but in this situation, with these characters, it felt misplaced.

Also, I kept looking for a connection that I couldn’t seem to find. The first half hour is building context for the play, but by the middle, I still didn’t feel it. There was one story about John’s mother that drew me in, and I hoped that it would carry me for the rest of the show, but I didn’t feel that follow-through afterward. I am fairly certain that my issue is with the script, so I’m not sure how one could overcome that, but somehow, I couldn’t get there emotionally.

The conversation about fact vs. truth is one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. What facts actually matter and where does it start bumping up against fiction? Is sharing the essence of a person or a situation more important than getting the technicalities correct or does that still constitute lying? It’s an interesting debate, I just hope you can connect a little more than I did.

The Lifespan of a Fact runs for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission.

Elsinore: A Theatre Ensemble: The Lifespan of a Fact – The Lifespan of a Fact is playing at the Athenaeum Center through 5/4/2025. Tickets can be purchased through the Athenaeum Center website. The Athenaeum Center is located at 2936 N Southport Ave in Chicago, IL.