Dimensions of Dementia: ‘The Father’ Debuts

Critics have unanimously praised Florian Zeller’s The Father, a play that takes the unusual perspective of presenting the world from the vantage of an elderly but still elegant man going through progressive stages of dementia. His shifting and relative reality – including concepts of such taken-for-granted facts as time and place – wreaks havoc on his relatives and other caregivers, although Andre also has plenty of lucid and charming moments. 

The Father won the 2014 Molière award for France’s best play. Two years later, Frank Langella took home the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in the Broadway debut of the English translation by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement), who likewise received a Tony nod. Zeller’s film adaptation of the play, which he also directed, won the Academy Award while star Anthony Hopkins claimed the Best Actor Oscarl; his second. 

The gripping, emotionally intense, yet poignant play makes its Santa Barbara debut via The Producing Unit, with the versatile actor Tom Hinshaw portraying Andre and co-founder Bill Egan directing the courageous and challenging work, which dives deep into the sadness, the anger, the confusion and – yes, the humor – which springs from the situations brought about by memory loss. 

“Everyone in life goes through a time where the parent becomes the child and the child becomes parent, and Alzheimer’s is an additional level,” Egan said, explaining his interest in The Father. “What makes this profound is experiencing everyone’s perspective, and it’s a puzzle in more ways than one – which we’re trying to depict in the poster.” 

It’s a difficult subject, one that many of us try to avoid, even as the coming so-called “silver tsunami” approaches. Indeed, the California Central Coast Alzheimer’s Association will have information at the theater about the local chapter and the resources here in Santa Barbara, and representatives are expected to join the cast for a Q&A after the September 15 matinee. 

As with nearly all Producing Unit shows, Egan expects the audience to feel a bit of discomfort at least initially, and to become increasingly intrigued enough to continue to let the performance resonate long after the lights go down. 

“We want people walking out already discussing what really happened, what was reality and what was in Andre’s mind,” he said. “We love when those conversations continue on the car ride home and at the breakfast table the next day.” 

But all is not despair and depression, Egan said. 

“The play is peppered with wry humor, and when we get glimpses of who Andre was before the dementia, he’s charming, as Tom does an amazing job.” 

The Father performs at Center Stage September 13-22. Visit https://centerstagetheater.org