This week I was able to get to New York to see The Waverly Gallery, showing on Broadway until January 27, 2019.  Do, by all means, go see this play if at all possible.  Written by Kenneth Lonergan (This is Our Youth, Lobby Hero, Manchester-By-The-Sea, etc.), this play is a smart, funny, sensitive play about the ravages of dementia.  Sounds hilarious, right?  Nonetheless, there were plenty of laughs, even if they were of the “it’s funny. because it’s not happening to me” variety.  (Spoiler alert:  by the end of the play, there were few dry eyes in the house.) Lovingly brought to life by a top-notch cast (Elaine May, Lucas Hedges, Joan Allen, Michael Cera and a faultless understudy turn by Stephen Schnetzer), the play introduces us to Gladys (May) as she is losing both her hearing and her memory, but not her desire to be useful in the world.  With Allen and Hedges as her long-suffering daughter and grandson, the audience shares both their good intentions and their frustrations.  Michael Cera turns up at the titular small art gallery, hoping to make his break into the New York art scene.  All of the actors inhabited their roles admirably, but special kudos go to Elaine May who allowed herself to be seen as an old, frail and confused woman with pitch perfect emotions and timing.  I can scarecely believe that she does this eight times a week!  She is a treasure to the theatre community and has been ever since her ground-breaking comedy partnership with Mike Nichols.

While I have nothing against musicals, I am especially drawn to straight plays.  I am captivated by the experience of watching a “real” story unfold before my eyes.  I am in awe of all the actors who can make it look easy, when I know quite well the hard work that is involved.  Performances like the ones I saw this week both humble and inspire me, leading me to examine more closely my approach to the art and craft of acting.  Many thanks to all involved in this production for re-affirming my faith in the power of theatre.