So Long Life

Ned, an aging actor suffering with Alzheimer's, lives in his old bar with his daughter Maggie. They share the daily struggles of living with the disease and Ned's moments of being present and in his memories. When Charlie comes into the bar to find out about the father he never knew, Ned begins to struggle through the disease to tell a hidden secret to Maggie. Their best friends, Sam and Mary, share in caring...

Ned, an aging actor suffering with Alzheimer's, lives in his old bar with his daughter Maggie. They share the daily struggles of living with the disease and Ned's moments of being present and in his memories. When Charlie comes into the bar to find out about the father he never knew, Ned begins to struggle through the disease to tell a hidden secret to Maggie. Their best friends, Sam and Mary, share in caring for Ned, in protecting Maggie, and helping keep the family together. Charlie disrupts their lives and in the end they discover the danger of keeping secrets from those you love.

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So Long Life

Recommended by

  • Donald Loftus: So Long Life

    A poignant and deeply human drama, So Long Life explores memory, loss, and the enduring power of love with striking theatricality. Owen Robertson crafts a richly layered world where past and present collide, using Ned’s fragmented mind to reveal truth with both heartbreak and beauty. The dialogue is sharp and compassionate, balancing humor with raw emotion. A moving, resonant work.

    A poignant and deeply human drama, So Long Life explores memory, loss, and the enduring power of love with striking theatricality. Owen Robertson crafts a richly layered world where past and present collide, using Ned’s fragmented mind to reveal truth with both heartbreak and beauty. The dialogue is sharp and compassionate, balancing humor with raw emotion. A moving, resonant work.

  • Doug DeVita: So Long Life

    SO LONG LIFE is a harrowing, sometimes brutal, yet touching deep dive into parents becoming the children, and the children becoming the parents. Anyone who's dealt with aging, ailing parents will recognize the love and pain attendant to the experience; Robertson masterfully captures the pain, the confusion, the anger, the loss, and most importantly the love that sometimes masquerades as hate and frustration on both sides. Deeply moving, and a field day for actors, especially older ones.

    SO LONG LIFE is a harrowing, sometimes brutal, yet touching deep dive into parents becoming the children, and the children becoming the parents. Anyone who's dealt with aging, ailing parents will recognize the love and pain attendant to the experience; Robertson masterfully captures the pain, the confusion, the anger, the loss, and most importantly the love that sometimes masquerades as hate and frustration on both sides. Deeply moving, and a field day for actors, especially older ones.

  • Craig Houk: So Long Life

    Set in a bar that echoes fading fame and fractured memory, this play is a poignant meditation on love, guilt, and reckoning. A once-celebrated actor’s Alzheimer’s forces his daughter to confront buried truths: an affair, a half-brother, and her mother’s tragic death in a long-ago fire. As the past collides with the present, his loyal best friend and wife remain steadfast, embodying grace, chosen family, and devotion until the end. A tight script and a compelling story. Highly recommend.

    Set in a bar that echoes fading fame and fractured memory, this play is a poignant meditation on love, guilt, and reckoning. A once-celebrated actor’s Alzheimer’s forces his daughter to confront buried truths: an affair, a half-brother, and her mother’s tragic death in a long-ago fire. As the past collides with the present, his loyal best friend and wife remain steadfast, embodying grace, chosen family, and devotion until the end. A tight script and a compelling story. Highly recommend.

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Lab Theater Project, Year 2018