←Recommendations of The Heath

My goodness. So many feels. So many turns. Lauren Gunderson creates, no re-creates, a world of sadness and glory and life. What a wonderful theatrical experience! A new format, a new form and a new, but many told, tale. Extraordinary. Brava!

Banjo + Shakespeare = perfection. I was lucky enough to see this piece performed at MRT in 2018. Gunderson’s metatheatrical autobiography invites us into her very real struggle to reconcile her conflicting feelings about her grandfather, with whom she shared a deep connection but differed from in many important ways (his holy text is the Bible; hers is Shakespeare). The storm of Lear’s madness is a powerful metaphor for her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, and Gunderson’s transformation into first Cordelia and then The Fool allows her to try to enter his world and get answers about their relationship.

Resonated on many levels, this script reaches for connection.

A moving musical journey along the road to walking through Alzheimers with a loved one. Beautifully done.

As always, Gunderson's blending of science, literature, and interpersonal connections creates a beautiful mosaic of the human experience. This play is an intense emotional journey and anyone who has a complicated relationship with a loved one but still held that loved one's hand as they walked a lonely road of aging and dementia can relate to Lauren's experience. People are complex creatures, y'all.