The Father

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THE FATHER

Photo: Joan Marcus

Cititour.com Review
To those of us in possession of our faculties, it’s hard to imagine the reality of living with Alzheimer’s. But The Father, a new play by French author Florian Zeller, attempts to immerse the audience fully into that world by looking at things from the perspective of one sufferer. It’s an intriguing premise, especially with an actor the caliber of Frank Langella in the title role, but it’s not until the last 30 minutes of this hour-and-a-half one-acter that Doug Hughes’s production makes a meaningful impact.

The show opens in the well-appointed Paris apartment of the elderly, difficult Andre (Langella), whose latest caregiver has quit after he accused her of stealing a watch he had misplaced. With Andre unable to look after himself, and with his daughter Anne (Kathryn Erbe) planning a move to London to be with her new partner, Pierre, it seems the only place left for Andre may be a care home.

Or not. The next scene takes place in the same room, but now it’s where Anne lives. Only she’s not the Anne of the previous scene. She’s played by a different actress (Kathleen McNenny), and there’s a man (Charles Borland) whom Andre doesn’t recognize but who claims to be Pierre. The original Anne returns in the following scene, as Andre meets with a new home companion (Hannah Cabell), but in the next Pierre is played by a different actor (Brian Avers), and the couple is at a loss about what to do with the increasingly confused and cantankerous old man.

Zeller’s play, translated by Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), doesn’t unfold so much as spiral. As Andre’s mind continues to mix up people, places and objects, we’re just as uncertain about the line between reality and his flights of fancy.

On an intellectual level, The Father fascinates, but as it goes on the production becomes increasingly clinical. Langella and Erbe only sketch out a relationship between their characters, and the oblique nature of the play would have given them ample opportunity to play around with various versions of Andre and Anne. It’s not until the final scene that Langella’s performance really plumbs the frightening emotional depths of Andre’s mental state.

By then Andre’s life has come full circle. With his memory fragmented, he has no choice but to trust the strange woman before him to take care of him as a baby would its mother. But his mind is strong enough to know that everything will not be all right.

By Diane Snyder


Visit the Site
http://thefatherbroadway.com

Cast
Frank Langella, Kathryn Erbe, Brian Avers, Charles Borland, Hannah Cabell, Kathleen McNenny

Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/14/2016
Closing 6/19/2016

Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 3/22/2016
Closing Open-ended

Box Office
212-239-6200

Theatre Info
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map



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