Boston's new production of play, "Pru Payne," uses comedy to cope with memory loss
BOSTON - About 55 million people around the world are living with dementia, and that number is only expected to grow. In SpeakEasy Stage's new production of the play, "Pru Payne," the audience sees how memory loss impacts family and connections.
Using humor to cope with memory loss
Boston-based actor Karen MacDonald stars as Pru, a notable writer and arts critic who is diagnosed with vascular dementia.
MacDonald says it's a big challenge for her character as "someone whose whole life has been about words, all of the sudden she starts losing them."
Pru's son brings her to a memory care facility where she meets and starts a relationship with Gus, portrayed by New Hampshire native Gordon Clapp.
The actor, who won an Emmy for his role on NYPD Blue, says, "There's a lot of humor in this piece, it's just human nature. It's a warm kind of humor and a recognition of what the person is going through."
Most of the play takes place in the late 1980s, a time when researchers were just beginning to understand memory issues. Today, it's something many have first-hand experience with.
"Everyone who comes to see the show," says MacDonald. "You look to your left, you look to your right, somebody has, probably all three of you have someone that you know who is suffering."
Clapp agrees saying, "I know so many people who have gone through this with their families, and it's just so difficult to deal with it."
During rehearsal, two caregivers came and spoke to the cast about their own experiences, something the actors say was extremely valuable.
MacDonald explains it's important to put a topic like this on stage, saying "It's a way to have a conversation about this and not a down conversation. I think this play is very uplifting in the sense that it says to the audience, look, this is something we're all living with, whether you are personally living with it, caring for someone with it. It's really a play about people, humans, doing the best they can, taking one step forward every day."
How long is "Pru Payne" being performed?
You can see "Pru Payne" at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End through November 16th.