Elaine May                                    photos by Brigitte Lacombe

 

 

                            by Deirdre Donovan

 

Kenneth Lonergan’s 1999 play, The Waverly Gallery, is in revival at the John Golden Theatre with a top-notch cast.  Starring the legendary Elaine May, and directed by Lila Neugebauer (making her Broadway debut), it is a poignant portrait of an octogenarian suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and how her family copes with the tragedy.

 

 

Here’s the story:  Gladys Green (Elaine May), in her 80s, is the owner of a small art gallery in Greenwich Village.  A one-time social activist and intellectual, she is beginning to show the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.  Don, an aspiring artist from Massachusetts, materializes one day at the gallery and Gladys agrees to show his work.  It will prove to be the last show that Gladys presents in her gallery.  And why?  The landlord informs Gladys’s daughter Ellen Fine (Joan Allen) that the gallery must close because he plans to make it into a breakfast cafe for his new hotel.

 

 

 

Told through the eyes of Gladys’ grandson Daniel Reed (Lucas Hedges), and set between 1989 and 1991, it is a memory play that speaks pertinently to the present-day.

 

Sound like a depressing story?  Well, Lonergan didn’t mince his words when depicting Alzheimer’s disease in The Waverly Gallery, a 2001 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

 

The best reason to see this show, of course, is to witness the 86 year-old May back on Broadway.  And her performance?  It is pitch-perfect.  Those who are May fans (and who isn’t?) will be treated to seeing her nuanced acting, impeccable timing, and sheer stamina in this 2 hour-plus production.  True, she gained fame through her long-time partnership with Mike Nichols and countless other showbiz ventures.  But she’s never been one to rest on her laurels—

 

 

While May is the big draw to the show, the cast has no slouches.  There’s Lucas Hedges who has two personas as Gladys’ grandson Daniel Reed and the narrator.  Without upstaging May, Hedges turns in a grounded double performance, and essentially becomes our guide through the play. 

 

 

Joan Allen & Elaine May

 

Joan Allen plays Gladys’ daughter Ellen Fine with a mixture of level-headedness and exasperation.  Allen’s character demonstrates how difficult and painful it is to witness the mental deterioration of a parent—and how it takes its toll on an entire family. 

 

David Cromer, who won a Tony Award last season for his direction of The Band’s Visit, returns to the boards again with his portrayal of Howard Fine.  Cromer comes across as the most even-keeled family member, a good husband and step-father who speaks his mind (sometimes too bluntly!) and calls a spade a spade.

 

Michael Cera, as the artist Don Bowman, is also well-cast.  Cera, who earned a Tony nomination last season for his performance in Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, has a gift for playing off-beat but likable characters.  And his Don has just the right blending of sincerity and geekiness.

 

David Zinn’s evocative set, in collaboration with Brian MacDevitt’s lighting, succeed in giving us a convincing backdrop for the action, whether it’s at Gladys’ quaint gallery, Gladys and Daniel’s adjourning apartments in Greenwich Village, or the Fines’ middle-class apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Ann Roth’s costumes are nothing fancy but subtly accent each character’s personality.

 

Yes, The Waverly Gallery explores a serious health subject and is a bonafide tear-jerker.  But one goes away from the show wiser—and gains a broader and more realistic view on Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Through January 27th, 2019

At the John Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45^th Street, Manhattan

For tickets, visit www.thewaverlygalleryonbroadway.com or phone 212-239-6200

Running time: 2 hours; 10 minutes with intermission