NORTH FORK, NY —One of the finest performances the East End has ever witnessed is unfolding onstage at the North Fork Community Theatre as “The Father,” by Florian Zeller, takes audiences on an emotional whirlwind as they contemplate the life-altering impacts of dementia.
“Most of us have been touched one way or another by the devastating impacts of dementia on a parent or loved one,” Mark Heidemann, who directs the production, said. “Witnessing this insidious disease is nothing less than heartbreaking. Playwright Florian Zeller has given us perhaps the most realistic portrayal of dementia ever put on stage.”
At the heart of the NFCT’s riveting production is Rusty Kransky as Andre, the father, whose deeply nuanced performance is simply breathtaking in its bravery, as he traverses life in an unfamiliar terrain.
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“Change can be a scary thing. Once a professional dancer, Andre has always been a commanding presence at home and in the world. Or was he an engineer? Why can’t he find his watch? And why is he still in his pajamas in the afternoon?” NFCT asks. “Yes, change can be a very scary thing. For Andre, it is nothing short of terrifying. Andre is losing his mind. Or is he? Is his daughter really trying to help him? And who is this threatening man who keeps coming around? What is going on here?”
Watching Kransky shift through the shadows of his once familiar life, audiences are in turn delighted — as the former engineer convinces an interviewing aide, in a voice as smooth as silk in its ability to woo, that he once dazzled as a tap dancer — and plunged into heartbreak.
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Kransky’s Andre is at times indignant, belligerent, achingly confused and utterly childlike as he searches throughout the course of the show for all he has lost — his watch, a perfect metaphor for life’s moments forever gone and the cruel passage of time; his daughter Anne, played by a gifted Eileen Trilli; her sister Lucy, who has died. But a broken Andre is unable to grasp that his beloved girl is gone and his plaintive pleas, asking where she’s gone, echo.
Andre spends his days mired in confusion, unsure of whether his daughter Anne has really left for London with her husband Pierre, portrayed by Colin Palmer in a vivid performance — or whether she’s decided not to go at all and will be home soon to make his dinner.
A final scene, with Andre and his nurse, is marked by agonizing beauty, as he sobs audibly in his confusion, his last grip on all that was real and familiar now gone. Hearing Andre wailing for his mother, the primal cry of anyone who’s ever experienced that most cutting of all losses, has the audience in tears.
Kransky’s performance, his face and body reeling from the betrayal of a dementia that leaves him broken, is sublime — masterful. He is at times infuriating — as anyone who has cared for a loved one with dementia knows all so well — and at others, so bereft and lost that one just wants to wrap him up in a warm embrace and take his hand, telling him it will all be okay. Forgetfulness is the ironic gift dementia offers, as his nurse points out with matter-of-fact clarity, Kransky’s Andre weeping beside her.
“The Father” is theater at its best, with every actor, including Georgia Ciaputa, John Lovett, and Lauren Maugeri, delivering unforgettable performances. Directed by Heidemann, with Assistant Director Stephen Ness, and Producer Liz Liszanckie, and lighting design by David Scheer, the production is one that will take a forever and well-deserved place in the hearts of all who fill the audience. It’s just that unforgettable.
In addition, “The Father” represents a new cross-promotion at NFCT, “The Art of A Play.”
Artist Cynthia Wells was awarded a grant from the Huntington Arts Council to create works that explore the human experience through drawing the production of the play, “The Father,” the NFCT said.
Wells, an award-winning animation filmmaker and painter, “has captured unscripted behind-the-scenes character studies of actors portraying a man’s descent into dementia,” NFCT said.
She was awarded the Huntington Arts Council grant for the project.
“My drawing technique is animation drawing. I use design, detail, and exaggeration to capture the essence of a theatrical moment. This gives audiences (at the theater where the work will be exhibited) a different perspective on the play,” Well said.
The art will be displayed at the NFCT before and during the play.
“The Father,” winner of the Moliere Award and considered “the most acclaimed new play of the last decade,” is now playing at the NFCT through March 24.
Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.
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Reflecting on the show, Heidemann adds: “You may, over the course of the show, feel frustrated. You may find yourself feeling a little confused. You may even find yourself laughing at inappropriate times. Please know this is deliberate. You are about to experience a story through the eyes of someone with dementia — through the eyes of The Father. Thank you for supporting NFCT and live theater. Without you, we could not bring challenging artistic plays like this one to the North Fork.”
To purchase tickets, click here.
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