Christopher Hampton’s translation of Florian Zeller’s masterpiece provides an intimate glimpse into the disorienting world of André, an elderly man grappling with dementia.

Set in his Paris apartment, the play artfully blurs the lines between reality and confusion, inviting us to experience the world through André’s eyes.

The play is a powerful exploration of the impact of dementia on identity and relationships, taking a profound
and sometimes disconcerting journey into the human mind’s fragility.

The cast told the story with great power and gusto.

Damian Jones as Andre, the old man suffering from dementia, was extremely believable and emotional as the story followed his confusion from start to finish.  It was very powerful and confronting when Andre became more and more frustrated during scenes where he thought he saw and heard things that never actually happened, his ability to hit a nerve with the audience was impressive.  The very last scene when his emotions caught up with him was gut wrenching.

As Andre’s daughter, Anne, Maria Nordenberg put in a performance filled with love and pain that I think a lot of the audience found relatable having seen a parent or spouse go through the same thing.  The anguish in her performance definitely made feel her pain as she wanted what’s best for her father.  This again hit a nerve with the audience.

Zoran Babic as Pierre, Anne’s husband, was stern and very forthright.  He was for sure the villainous character in the way he showed his anger towards Andre’s forgetfulness.  His lack of sensitivity towards Andre was portrayed to a very high standard.

As Laura, the carer, Kristina Musatova played the role with fragility and calmness.  She kept her poise throughout the show and gave a very authentic performance.

Damian Vuleta as the Man was one of my favourites as he had to switch from delusion to reality several times and his versatility really shone through.  His ability to jump character was flawless and impressive.

Finally as the Woman, Alixx Ackland was very soft and caring in her performance as the nurse bringing a sense of calm and patience to role.  I very much liked her final scene when the chemistry came through between her and Andre when she was telling him that everything was ok.

From a production point of view, I admired the use of scene change music that got more and more fuzzy to give the impression the old man’s mind was getting worse.  Also, the disappearing set was very effective.

Director David Collins has put together a show full of joy, heartbreak and also reality that so many of face in our life at some point.