Written almost 20 years ago, and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize, Kenneth Lonergan’s, The Waverly Gallery, is very much a “memory” play. It depicts a multigenerational family of non-religious, Jewish, NYC intellectuals. The focus of the play, and the family’s energies, is the rapid cognitive decline of the 80- something grandmother, Gladys, a former attorney and gadfly. The play is guided by the narration of the 20-something grandson, Daniel as he recounts, and the playwright shows us, not only Gladys’ deterioration, but the effect on family members.
Gladys’ frustration at first not being able to hear, and eventually not being able to comprehend or remember, is mirrored by that of the family which is at a loss on how to best care for her. In the recent revival, Joan Allen’s portrayal of Gladys’ daughter, Ellen, is an all to realistic illustration of the simultaneous feelings of deep love and resentment affecting so many family caregivers.
Gladys, played brilliantly by Elaine May, is funny and sympathetic, but also frustrating and ultimately, harrowing, to her family as they struggle to care for her and maintain their own equilibrium in the face of her cognitive decline.
What’s so interesting is that Gladys is being played by someone who is precisely the age of the character. The quality of the performance is a testament to Ms. May’s talent and at the same time, a repudiation of the inevitability of cognitive decline. The nightly grind of live performances tests one’s stamina as well as memory.
From where I was sitting it appeared that Ms. May did not miss a beat. In fact a recent Columbia University study which found that elderly people grow as many new brain cells as teenagers do, counters previous theories that neurons stop developing after adolescence. Healthy men and women continue to produce new neurons throughout life, suggesting older people remain more cognitively and emotionally intact than previously believed, researchers found. “We found that older people have similar ability to make thousands of hippocampal new neurons from progenitor cells as younger people do,” said the study’s lead author Maura Boldrini, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurobiology.
The Waverly Gallery is a sobering piece, and while it doesn’t sugar coat the effects on all concerned, it does reflect humanity and love between the family members. I’m hoping that the people who witness this wonderful play and its stellar performances also take away the idea that age is no barrier to artistic achievement.
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Acting, Performing Arts, Performing Arts > Theatre, Playwriting