The Performances
The Waverly Gallery
Kenneth Lonergan is known for his trademark humor and genius for capturing the real heart and soul of human interactions. Ben Brantley raved in The New York Times that Lonergan has "one of the keenest ears of any working playwright." Lonergan, a Bronx native, began to develop his writing skills in high school, later graduating from the NYU Playwriting Program and penning stories that, though not necessarily autobiographical, reflected situations he had experienced. His affection for small, character-driven dramas and what he terms the "salvation of the ordinary" is evident in his work as a playwright, screenwriter and director. Lonergan was inspired early on to pen The Waverly Gallery, based on his grandmother's Greenwich Village Gallery. More success came with his next off-Broadway play This is Our Youth. Lonergan's film career began with his screenplay for the gangland comedy, Analyze This, in 1999 and most recently co-wrote Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. Stepping into the director's chair, Lonergan brought his screenplay for You Can Count On Me to celluloid with much acclaim, earning him the Grand Jury Prize at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
A powerfully poignant and often hilarious play, The Waverly Gallery is about the final years of a generous, chatty, and feisty grandmother's battle against Alzheimer's disease. Gladys is an old-school lefty and social activist and longtime owner of a small art gallery in Greenwich Village. The play explores her fight to retain her independence and the subsequent effect of her decline on her family, especially her grandson. More than a memory play, The Waverly Gallery captures the humor and strength of a family in the face of crisis.
"A stirring and soulful, comic drama...classically so á la Glass Menagerie...Waverly is often deeply funny. It is both painful and hilarious." Ben Brantley, The New York Times. "You will be awed by Lonergan's writing." Christopher Isherwood, Variety. "(Lonergan) ... has written a loving but brutal American family drama that knows about the simultaneous human systems of entertainment and agony. As anyone who cares about aging loved ones already knows, life on that particular edge is often so real you have to laugh...he is dead-on about family in all its simultaneous affection and irritation." Linda Winer, Newsday. |
