My Father's Bookshelf at The Guthrie Theater on 6/19/09
By: David de Young
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| Pictured: Bob Rosen (Photo by Mike Neuharth) |
Billed as a “tragicomic exploration of Alzheimer’s Disease,” My Father’s Bookshelf takes an approach that permits us to laugh along as the central figure of the cast, Bob (played by Theatre de la Jeune Lune co-founder Robert Rosen), faces the disease. Though the production is frequently humorous, you also share the frustration and eventual despair of Bob’s family and a rapid and steady decline in his mental abilities. Particularly hard hit, as you would expect, is his wife Carmella (Barbara Berlovitz, also a Theatre de la Jeune Lune alum). One analogy the play employs is that consciousness is like an orchestra playing. With Alzheimers it's as if musicians as well as parts of the score are being lost.
Developed in collaboration with several groups specializing in care and treatment for Alzheimers patients, the script has been caressed and shaped by co-directors Noah Bremer and Galen Treuer. The action of the play takes place mostly in a kitchen filled with refrigerators, a kitchen table and chairs, symbols of the center of the home. The play is framed by a lecture from a neuroscientist, Dr. Henderson (played by Megan Odell) who is searching for a cure. (Odell also plays Bob’s daughter Shannon.) The cast is rounded out by Jason Ballweber as David and Dario Tangelson as Hunter, Bob’s two sons. (Tangleson has another great role as a scientist.) The set by Paul Whitaker is creative and versatile, the refrigerators and tables and chairs doubling as closets, cars and even a rocket ship. Costumes are by Anna Lee of Voltage Fashion Amplified.
What plot there is follows Bob’s decline and how he and his family attempt to cope with it. A metaphor of electrical connections ties much of it together, and we are led to believe Bob was some sort of electrical engineer while we was still able to work. The play takes on a heavier tone following the intermission, and eventually Bob is institutionalized. The ultimate sadness comes when Bob forgets even his own wife.
“Reality is in the eye of the beholder,” Mark Twain is rumored to have said. And perhaps different theater-goers will have different impressions of whether this play ends on an optimistic note – there’s some question as Bob slides further and further out of touch with our “reality” if the reality he’s heading for is a better place or not.
My Father’s Bookshelf has duel goals of both raising awareness and standing on its own as a work of art, and on both counts it succeeds. I recommend particularly this play to those who have family or friends coping with Alzheimers interested in seeing a relevant, contemporary, sensitive treatment of the subject.
My Father’s Bookshelf runs through June 28.
Location Info:
The Guthrie Theater
Artist Info: Live Action Set
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