←Recommendations of Familiar

A heart breaking conversation between the past and the present, FAMILIAR considers whether the foundation of love is reality, or something greater.

Beautiful and heart-wrecking. LeBlanc does a beautiful job of showing us the father in the son which is gut-wrenching when the father cannot even see his son. Kindness permeates the script. There are no histrionics - just love. The love still connects the characters and will connect you to the script.

I have my own reasons why this play brings me to the edge of tears -- and beyond. Robert LeBlanc's loving but honest way of dealing with the effects of dementia is meant to convey the sense of loss, not just by the older man, but by the younger one who sees the slippage and cannot do anything to change it. This play will stay with me for a very long time.

I feel late coming to this tremendous short play, FAMILIAR, by Robert LeBlanc. We have seen stories of parental dementia before but this play took me to a new realization. Through this visit, as we hear the clues, we hope for the father to recognize his son. And so, the heartbreak is woven in. A lovely time for them both, I was struck by how one can still get what he needs in such a relationship: connection. Love does win out with all the obstacles. Not a perfect love - whose is? But a sustaining love is revealed. Kudos, LeBlanc!

A tender gut punch of a play. LeBlanc beautifully captures the conflicting feelings one has while watching a parent slip away, but does it with a quiet determination: there is nothing desperate or angst-ridden about the work – it’s just a conversation between a father and son, which in its own muted way is both lovely and heartbreaking.

Tears have welled in my eyes reading this play by Robert LeBlanc. What a touching story!
The son knows now that he is unable to reach his elderly father suffering from dementia, and he approaches the man with such generosity of spirit and love.
Interesting how he is gathering information from his father that his father had never revealed earlier in their lives. Well written, Robert LeBlanc!

Fathers and sons often have tenuous, emotionally complicated relationships in our culture, and the poignant sadness of this play lies in how this father and son have always had a strong emotional bond, strengthened by the tragic circumstances of the father having to raise his son alone for most of the boy’s upbringing, and yet the son has been forgotten. This play deals with far more than the sad mental deterioration brought on by dementia. It shows us how the mind can remember toxic relationships and trauma from long ago, and disturbingly forget the good memories. Beautifully written!

The hidden heartbreak that the son portrays in this piece is what really hits me, and what a wonderful challenge for an actor to sink their teeth into, especially compared to the gruff bravado of the father sitting across the table from him. Poignant and lovely, sad and hopeful, this tale of the quiet ravages of dementia will stay with you. A beautiful piece.

This masterfully crafted short play beautifully captures the reality of dementia from both sides—the person sinking into memory loss and the still cognizant loved one, both losing their cherished connections to the past. The dialogue between an aging father and the son he no longer recognizes is poignant and wryly ironic, revealing how there is always more to learn about ourselves and the ones we love and think we know. The final line is perfect—two simple words, larded with so much meaning. LeBlanc has written something special here.

Bob LeBlanc is a talented and versatile playwright, who consistently delivers a product that is top-notch. He can write a play that makes you laugh, make you think, or make you feel. FAMILIAR is no exception. It is a beautifully written and powerful short play that will, as the kids these days say, "hit you in the feels".