A Brutally Honest Story of Dementia

Fun Fact: The Father has a companion piece called The Mother and both plays feature characters named Anne and Pierre.

Best Bits: Despite the serious tone of the play, there are quiet a few hilarious moments in the show. One of them center on the lead character Andre trying to convince a woman of his old tap-dancing days. I enjoyed the bits of humor. It gives the audience a glimpse of the jovial, charming person Andre truly is and makes the reality of the disease much more distressing.

Target Audience: Definitely not for younger audiences or those who are not able to handle flashing or flickering lights.

Verdict: I definitely see why Frank Langella has all those Tony Awards and I wouldn't be surprised if he earned another one for this performance. Brilliant.

Life, it seems, is built on memories. They shape us and steady us, slowly building our being from the inside out. What would it be like to have every bit of that foundation shaken, rattled, and swept out from under you like a never-ending earthquake? French writer, Florian Zeller, bravely dives into the heartbreaking destruction of a brilliant mind with his play, The Father.

In this brilliant production, we follow Andre, a larger than life former tap dancer living with Alzheimer's disease. I'm sorry. Did I say tap dancer? I meant engineer. To be honest, it's hard to tell what is real and what is simply thought to be real. This play will constantly deceive you. Characters contradict themselves. Scenes are repeated with subtle differences. In fact, you could say that the only straight forward thing about this play is the honest portrayal of what it's like being consumed by dementia and the effects it can leave on the people around you, watching it happen. Which, I believe is the point of the show.

Three time Tony Award winner Frank Langella, returns to the Broadway stage in the lead role. He's joined by a talented ensemble; including stage and film actress Kathryn Erbe who plays his worrying daughter Anne. As frustrating as it is to watch Andre’s slow decent, it’s even more frustrating to watch his daughter try and help him. She constantly struggles for balance between the father that she loves and the life that she dreams of having. I thought the chemistry between the two was beautiful, displaying that comical annoyance that lingers between and parent and child. Plus, there's the undeniable love and trust shown through out the play even when harsh words are said and truths come to light.

One of the more startling (and slightly annoying) aspects of The Father had to be the lighting. Every once in a while, the whole stage would go dark and a bright set of lights would flash at the audience, like a camera snapshot. It unsettled me and took me out of the performance. I didn't like it and I even started to dread when it would happen. It was so quick and unpredictable. Even with that being said, the lighting did exactly what it was supposed to do - it took you into Andre's deteriorating mind. The scene would go dark, FLASH, and then when the lights came back up, something would be different. A piece of furniture was moved or disappeared all together. Characters were different. Scenes would repeat. FLASH. Things were not as you remembered them. I loathed that flash but at the same time, I tip my hat at lighting designer Donald Holder and the show's director, Doug Hughes. They had the audience right where they wanted them. Disoriented and thwarted. Bravo!.

If I had to describe The Father in one word it would be Empathetic. You walk in Andre's shoes. You begin to understand the disquiet of his life. You struggle to piece together the shreds of his memories. Its one of those plays that make you appreciate the simplicity of theatre. You're taken into a world that you might not have otherwise thought about and you come away with a unique understanding. I thought it was beautifully done even with the perturbed nagging of the flashes. But a warning: Having tissues on hand would definitely be a plus and you may leave the show much the final image of Andre, in need of comfort.

Reviewed by Makia Martin

Sunday 27th March 2016
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, New York City
Find me on Twitter: @newyorktheatre

View our show pages for more information about The Father, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.