"The Father"

[+ beethoven]

This is a new play, translated into English (the author is Florian Zeller), starring Frank Langella as Andre, a man descending into dementia. It opens Thursday at Manhattan Theater Club.

Three of my friends have seen it, and have raved about Langella's performance. One predicted a Tony for him.

They all said that "The Father" is profoundly depressing.

I go to the theater a lot in New York, but somehow, I'm wondering if I really want to sit through 90 minutes of this, no matter how wonderful the acting is. (And, no, I have no personal experience with this with family or friends.) I don't usually react to subject matter this way.

I just wanted to let you know about the play, and to share my thoughts.

[body2body]

The Father got very positive reviews from both the critics and audiences in London. I was tempted to see it, but simply ran out of time during my visit last year.

Here is a link to the Time Out review

http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-father

The translation was done by Christopher Hampton.

[+ beethoven]

Thanks for posting the review. My "discount" coupon, received in the mail, lets me buy a $150 orchestra seat for $99. With prices like these, it's very helpful to see a review, so thanks again. With Manhattan Theater Club or Roundabout, it's harder to get good seats even if I buy a ticket before the opening, as the subscribers choose first. But at these prices, it's nice to have something to read or hear first.

[uwsman2]

I saw it last weekend. I found it confusing. An attempt is made to get you into the head of a man sinking into dementia, by portraying a world in which nothing makes sense to the central character. It rang lots of bells for me as my dad had Alzheimer's and our family experienced some of this. There is humor, but overall the tone is serious. The person I went with found it brilliant. I was not quite so convinced.