The Father

When a play and cast has garnered as many awards as this it is bound to create great expectation. The Father certainly delivers on that promise, a beautifully crafted piece of writing that takes the audience on a devastatingly moving journey as you realise that what you are watching is actually what the father of the title is living. Cunningly you are not the spectator but are party to the terror that dementia delivers to the sufferer. The cast are superb, by turn caring and then callous. The setting is wickedly poignant as it slowly disappears. Kenneth Cranham as the father is extraordinary in his portrayal of a man whose world is gradually slipping away, he is fragile, vulnerable and yet strong and in his performance we are all given an insight into the devastating and cruel effects on life of dementia. How wonderful to be reminded of the power that theatre can hold over an audience.
25 April
Theatre Royal Brighton
Andrew Kay
5 stars