Susan Granger’s review of “The Waverly Gallery” (Golden Theater)
What a joy to welcome comedy icon Elaine May back to Broadway and great to see young Lucas Hedges make his debut on the Great White Way. So it’s too bad that Kenneth Lonergan’s compassionate memory play is such a depressing disappointment.
Inspired by the death of his grandmother, it’s set in 1999 Manhattan with Lucas Hedges as Daniel Reed, the playwright’s surrogate, explaining to the audience that his grandmother Gladys (Elaine May) is suffering not only from hearing loss but also Alzheimer’s disease.
Once a formidable attorney and feisty left-wing activist, garrulous Gladys now runs a small art gallery adjacent to a Greenwich Village hotel, just off Washington Square. Patrons are few and far between, so when Don Bowman (Michael Cera), a down-on-his-luck painter from Massachusetts appears, she’s delighted to welcome him in.
“I like to help young people,” Gladys says. “All they want is a little chance. But they don’t have anyone to help them.”
Daniel is a speechwriter for the Environmental Protection Agency, although Gladys is convinced that he works for an influential newspaper, perhaps the New York Times. He lives down the hall from Gladys in a nearby apartment building.
Although she lives uptown, Daniel’s exasperated mother Ellen (Joan Allen) bears most of the responsibility for Gladys during her declining years, aided by Daniel’s psychoanalyst stepfather, Howard (David Cromer). They all gather for a Wednesday night dinner that becomes more-and-more difficult.
At 86, Elaine May embodies Gladys’ pervasive vagueness and poignant verbal hesitancy, making her endearing and sympathetic – albeit infuriating – with Lucas Hedges, Joan Allen, Michael Cera and David Cromer giving stalwart support.
Making her Broadway directing debut, Lila Neugebauer (“The Wolves”) once again demonstrates how effective she is in guiding Lonergan’s overlapping dialogue. Unfortunately, the scene changes are far too long, even with Tal Yarden’s projections of New York street scenes, adding to an increasing tedium.
FYI: This melancholy play opened off-Broadway 18 years ago, long before Kenneth Lonergan won an Oscar for “Manchester By the Sea.” Eileen Heckart starred as Gladys with Maureen Anderman as Ellen; now, Maureen Anderman is standing by for Elaine May.
“The Waverly Gallery” plays through Jan. 27, 2019, at the Golden Theater.