The Waverly Gallery

The Waverly Gallery

Golden Theatre

September 29, 2018

Photo courtesy of The Waverly Gallery

Kenneth Lonergan’s new play, The Waverly Gallery, is a heartbreaking glimpse into the effect Alzheimer’s has on a family.  The many layers of this serious affliction are explored in each character of the family unit.  Director Lila Neugebauer allows the space for each actor in the brilliant cast to discover the core of their emotional journey.  Each point of view offers a wide range of audience member the opportunity for an individual relatable experience.

Gladys Green (played by Elaine May) has run a small art gallery in Greenwich Village for decades.  It is now 1989, and her ability to independently care for herself is changing as fast as the neighborhood.  Her grandson, Daniel (played by Lucas Hedges), moved into the apartment behind hers.  Her daughter, Ellen (played by Joan Allen), is regrettably aware that there will soon come a time when Gladys will need to move in with her and her husband (played by David Cromer) on the upper West Side.  Gladys befriends a young artist, Don Bowman (played by Michael Cera) and agrees to sponsor a showing of his painting in her gallery.  Along with the sparingly attended opening comes the news that the landlord is evicting Gladys from the gallery.  The family falls into crisis mode as they face the downward spiral of Gladys’ mental health and the inevitable need for drastic changes in her life style. 

Elaine May, Michael Cera, & Lucas Hedges
Photo courtesy of The Waverly Gallery

Elaine May is warm and likable as Gladys.  During the course of the play, we experience the gradual decline in her mental well-being.  Her vibrancy falters and her ability to maintain a conversation diminishes.  Early on in the play Ms. May draws the audience so close to the caring and generous nature of her character that we cannot help but feel for her.  Lucas Hedges directly addresses the audience at times, so we view the story through his perspective.  His character’s closeness to his grandmother is compromised by the frustration brought on by her condition, yet he never loses the bond they share.  His closing monologue is skillfully delivered, showing the truthful and brutal effect this experience has had on his character.

Joan Allen portrays Gladys’ daughter Ellen as impatient and angry.  There is callousness in the way her character speaks about Gladys as if she is not in the room.  In a short scene in Act II, Ms. Allen shows a glimpse of the strength and courage Ellen will find to unconditionally care for her mother in her time of greatest need.  This moment is then followed by the closing monologue by Mr. Hedges, completing the journey of this family through their crisis and into compassion.

The Waverly Gallery is running on Broadway at the Golden Theatre.  It is a deeply cathartic experience.  Be sure to see it.

Domenick Danza

The Encounter

The Encounter

Golden Theatre

December 30, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Encounter

The Encounter is a uniquely told story of one man’s adventure in the Amazon Rain Forest.  At the start of the show, Simon McBurney, who conceived, directed and performs the story, reveals the techniques he will be using throughout the performance.  He talks about how the brain creates a reality when it hears sound in specific ways.  He also talks about how realities are created by the documentation of memories, which result in the creation of a new reality based on how we view these records.  Thus the telling of the tale is framed, and the journey begins.

The storyteller (Simon McBurney) embarks on a journey deep into the Brazilian Amazon to follow the experience of a photographer who encountered a tribe of Mayoruna people.  His encounter is full of tribal rituals and new beginnings.  The storyteller plays a number of characters whose vocal qualities change electronically.  The audience experiences the encounter through headphones that transport the imagination.  As the program notes state, “Our ears, without asking, from a filter, help create a ‘normal’ reality, but one in which we hear ‘selectively.’  As with our ears, so it is with all our senses.  We see only what we want to see…”

Simon McBurney
Photo courtesy of The Encounter

The production is more than just an expertly done, high tech fabrication.  The theme of climate change and ancient beliefs about the earth as a living organism is profoundly delivered.  The production accentuates how great theatre is in the telling of the story, as it bring a unique experience and clear understanding of how technology effects the brain, our imagination, and therefore our reality.  

The limited run of The Encounter closes on January 8.  If you have not seen it yet, make the effort.

Domenick Danza